As Fate would have it
by NuclearToast
Summary: Motoko confesses her love, How would Naru act? Launch him at a rock? What if it stirs something that is better left sleeping. KeixMotoko R ... Edit dec30 05, I am still writing, I havent given up. Just struggleing with storylines and plot. 2Ch in edit.
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimer: No, none of the characters are mine, I don't own the copyright, (although I wish I did) this takes place in book 13, just a few days after Motoko confessed her love. This story is almost 1 year old, I have been writing and re-writing it several times.

A few things about my writing, first of all, I HATE the standard anime innuendo's of "face faults" of chin's hitting floors, also, Sweat drops, and finally the whole nosebleed thing. (is that even physically possible) I think it's rather silly, although I understand why and how come it is so often used in Japanese anime. So you wont find any of those, in my story... although there were several times I have been tempted to use them, I resisted and used other descriptive words instead. However if I were actually animating, or drawing manga, I would be using them.

Also, I am very bad at my grammmammaer and sphelling so please don't flame me, I have been using a word processor to help me. Downside of using a word processor to write with is they have a tendency to correct spelling miss steaks to the wrong word. (bad grammer and spelling international in this parragram)

And Now ..... the story.

Chapter 1

* * *

The Gods of Hinata smiled to themselves, they hadn't had this munch fun in two millennia. They quite enjoyed watching the daily antics of the latest caretaker of the Hinata estate.

They never really had a name for each other, sometimes they wondered even if they were three separate entities or one. They had been together so long that they could understand perfectly what the other one was thinking, yet they still liked to speak amongst themselves like old men on a porch idling the time away.

"He is the strongest one yet" said one. "He is on the verge of awakening. Things have been going smoothly for his progression to our last test, once we take care of a few things"

"I knew we made the right choice between his mothers suitors," another grumbled "we even helped that clumsy oaf because we thought he might seed us a suitable candidate. That other one was could have a much better choice, but our intuition helped us choose the right one after all. Just one thing is frustrating, why did that one also have to lend his clumsiness to our latest candidate"

"True it was a shame, but he has been quite entertaining" he mused.

"It was truly convenient that his clumsiness is exactly what annoys that girl."

"She continually brings him closer and closer to the verge of awakening his true power, up until now we have only seen glimpses of it."

"Yes too bad he has found a large part of his heart for this girl; it will be very hard for him to understand, but we have already put in motion things to force him on a path away from her. Putting the pieces in just the right place has been like a well thought out game of Shougi." (Shougi – Japanese chess)

"His suffering will be nothing compared to the difficulty of getting them two together, besides once they are together one of the girls will be only a memory" he said thinking about the two very different girls in his life.

"Yes once his true power awakens, it will be up to her to help him hone his abilities and train him to focus his mind."

"Her emotions will be a difficult battle for us to overcome, we may have to initiate a few more drastic measures for her to overcome, yet we wish to make her family part of his after the service they rendered so long ago"

"He will also awaken her potential power. That will give them strength to get through the trials ahead. The past is unchangeable, but now it has become that time again."

"Don't forget why we have manipulated her family lines too; we need her family to watch over him, we don't want another repeat of what happened last time"

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely we believe what these humans like to say in a situation like this."

"Their union will be fun, since we already have a few ideas that will make things very entertaining and get them to open up to each other"

"We know it will work. Besides, if he or she resists there is always That, although I believe she is ready, he is the one to worry about."

"Yes, there is That"

"Yes; what better way to get them to share one mind like we do?"

If there had been a person looking at the silhouettes in the fog one would have seen three bent old men rubbing their hands together with delight as the morning fog drifted down towards the river.

* * *

"AAAChooooooo "

"Bless you sempai. Are you getting a cold? You have been sneezing an awful lot the last few minute"

"Thanks Shinobu, No I don't think so, but I just hope no ones talking about or planning something that involves me," he said jokingly.

"I am sure no one is planning something, but I really should be thanking you for helping me with my homework like this."

"Sure any time" he said as he smiled at her. "Is that all or did you have some more questions?"

His smile made her blush a little, while her brain furiously tried to think of another question to keep him here beside her. She had kept him there for almost two whole hours with her questions, and now, much to her disappointment, she was all out of questions. "No I guess not sempai."

"Whelp I guess I better be going, let me know if you need more help. I am going to my room to prepare for Motoko's lesson, because I am supposed to help her. I already promised would be review math with her later this afternoon."

"I sure will sempai," she gleefully answered.

He got up from Shinobu's table and walked to the door of her room. He slid the door open and began walking towards his room. 'It has been a very strange week since Tsuruko left. Naru is giving me the cold shoulder. I don't get her, week before last we were casually kissing, but suddenly she . . .' he sighs 'to make matters worse Motoko isn't exactly acting like herself either. She normally is calm as tempered steel, now she is jumpy like someone wound all her internal springs way too tight. I haven't been able to talk to either one of them' Keitaro thought to himself.

He approached the door of his room and went inside, "I guess it won't hurt to do a bit of studying myself" and sat down and opened his book that he was working on.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

* * *

'How dare he' . . .

Once again, she was burning up with rage. 'Let Motoko deal with her own problems, he should be focusing on me. Is this the way it's always going to be? Why do I always become second in his life when other people have a crisis?' She rinsed her hair with a bucket of cold water hoping to sooth some of her rage.

'Every time our relationship is finally starting to go somewhere, someone comes along and off he goes being a knight in shining armor for someone else. Why is it not ever me? Why am I even attracted to that looser.' She began to climb into the hot springs, thinking that it might help her relax. After about twenty minutes of soaking she realized that it wasn't really helping. Sitting there trying to relax was only giving her brain more time to ponder over what has happened over the past two years.

First it was Motoko and her sister Tsuruko, 'It would have served him right to be married to her last year, she probably would have killed him within a week, but after last week. . .' she paused her thoughts mid sentence. She recalled something Kitsune had said earlier upon retelling Haruka what had happened, _"... and she declared her 'I Love You' at the top of her lungs, as she came at Tsuruko . . . " _

'Not only that... what I confiscated yesterday from Su...'

* * *

_(Yesterday About 10:00 A.M.)_

"_Whatda got there? It looks like one of Keitaro's or my study books" _

"_Oh it not, its one of Motoko's, but it sure has a lot about Keitaro in it" she said with a grin._

"_Oh? Let me see!"_

"_NO!" and Su began to run away._

"_I have a couple of Bananas in my room, I'll trade you." _

_It was like watching a cartoon as she skidded to a stop and turned around and said "Bananas?"_

_She spent the rest of the afternoon pouring over the material. Sure enough it was all in Motoko's handwriting, but she didn't know what to be more astounded about... the contents or the sheer number of filled pages!! 'So this is what Motoko thinks of that Looser!' She was dumbfounded, 'how could Motoko even be harboring such thoughts as these? Unless.... unless.... Now it makes me wonder if they even study in their "study" sessions.'_

"_THAT IDIOT!" She screamed, and regained her composure long enough to make sure no one reacted to her scream. Well no more than usually do anyway._

_Later on it was difficult to get Su to put the notebook back where she "found" it. She had to promise even more bananas, but the more difficult was to put on a show for Su to hide how enraged she was!_

* * *

She stood up in the bath clenching her fist so hard that even walnuts would be afraid 'I know him better than that, he's a clumsy, no good, perverted oaf who can't even go one day without groping something his hand has no business touching. He probably has been using his charms on Motoko on the side in order for her to think of such things.'

Sitting back down again in the water, she gathered her thoughts again. 'No, that can't be it. She was probably talking in her sleep and nothing could have happened. Hell! It was late enough, and I have been under a lot of stress. I could have been imagining it.'

* * *

_(Just last night about 3:00 A.M.)_

_Naru woke from a dream vaguely remembering something about bananas holding swords and turtles with watermelons. Feeling nature's call she got up and went to answer it. After answering natures call Naru noticed how it was a disturbingly quiet night, the only sound was her soft footsteps on the hard wood floor. Passing Motoko's room the quiet was shattered by a soft sound coming from the room. "Please, don't. ... No, stop talking, and just hold me..." It took several minutes before her ears were satisfied there was nothing else to hear. Then once again, the only other sound they heard were the soft footsteps slowly retreating._

* * *

Her rage began to build again, 'Hell I wouldn't put it past that pervert to be sneaking into Motoko's room and trying some of the things she mentioned in her note book. It might even be where she is learning the things she mentions. If I even find him sulking around in the middle of the night there is going to be funeral in the near future.'

'Even two days ago Kitsune my best friend said "Keitaro is quite a catch, and I wouldn't mind being just the fox to chase that particularly fat chicken." Still the number of times I have caught Keitaro staring at Kitsune's chest and her encouraging it is unforgivable. It seems the only sane ones around here are me Sara and Haruka. Even Mutsumi is all gaga over that pervert!'

She heard a noise and looked up in time to see Shinobu walk into the outdoor bath area. "Good Morning Naru-sempai," said Shinobu.

Naru only nodded, 'I really don't feel like talking' she said to herself.

After a few minutes Shinobu finished washing and climbed into the bath, and began humming happily.

Naru wasn't really in the mood for humming people either, so she sarcastically spout "someone's sure in a good mood"

"Oh me?" Naru noticed that Shinobu was starting to become flush, either it was the heat of the springs, or. . . .

"Oh it's nothing, after breakfast Keitaro helped me for two whole hours with my homework. He's so smart, and he really helped me understand a lot today. I think I will cook his favorite dinner for tonight to say thank you." Shinobu said and then smiled at Naru.

'There he goes again, now with Shinobu that pervert!!!' Naru thought.

Naru took just one more moment to calm down so that she could walk out of the bath with at least some dignity. Grabbing the towel she had set out to dry her self with, she set off for the changing room, when who of all people would turn the corner but Motoko.

A brief pause as Naru's gears temporarily went into neutral. It took but a second, but it seemed far much longer to once again begin moving forward. On her way out, she tried to recover from her very apparent "stall" by saying "Oh, Motoko for a second there I almost didn't recognize you without your long hair." What she didn't see as she was busy watching her feet to get around Motoko was the obvious pain on Motoko's face.

'That pervert is going to get it for doing this to me' she mused as she put on her clothes, 'Its that bastards fault that he has made it almost unbearable to live here, I cant look anywhere without seeing someone all doe eyed looking his way. Hell he is so stupid he doesn't even see anything. It would take him a million years to figure anything out without someone explaining it to him in words that his tiny brain could understand.'


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

Out in the bath, Shinobu had seen the pain on Motoko's face. She waited for Motoko to finish washing her hair which seemed to take a long time as Motoko was going very slowly. Motoko finally finished and using a bucket of water rinsed her hair and body clean.

As she slowly climbed into the bath Shinobu moved towards her and said "Please don't worry about your hair, I think its very cute and I like it."

"Why would a warrior like my self be worried over hair?" Motoko then softly said "it's not as if I am trying to get anyone to notice"

"It is not just me either; just this morning sempai said that your haircut made you look even more beautiful"

A strange almost calming effect seemed to come from mentioning Keitaro, or the word beautiful, or both. "Why would he say such a thing?" Motoko probed.

"Oh it's because I asked him if he likes girls with short hair, and he said 'How short' and I said about as short as Motoko's" what she didn't ask Keitaro this morning or mention now is she really wanted to add 'or like mine.' "He said something about how you reminded him of how some of the classic American movie stars looked, and how it showed off your beautiful neckline." Shinobu noticed how Motoko in fact did have a very beautiful neckline, and she felt very self conscious of her own neck, and how her own neck was far from being long and beautiful like Motoko's.

Motoko blushed a little, 'He was looking at my neckline?' she thought to herself, while her subconscious mind stowed away such valuable information to later put down on paper.

Her hand suddenly seemed to move on its own accord and it came to gently rest upon her neck. Upon realizing what she was doing she quickly put her hands back in the water. 'Gah.. why am I having such thoughts, I need to stop trying to think so much about him. If I keep it up, I am going to start acting on some of the schemes to get Urashima and Naru to break up. I just need to focus on Tokyo U for now, Urashima will come later.' Another girlish thought crossed her mind 'he might even come with Tokyo U.' Just then the mental image of holding hands with Urashima on the campus made her blush. 'Gack, just where did that come from?' she wondered as she tried to calm her racing heart.

"Oh, I haven't really watched any American classic movies because I have always been training."

"Later we can rent one and watch it if you want Motoko. I always wanted to see _Charades_ my papa always talked about how he liked that one. He said it was full of adventure and mystery and action. That might even be one you might like, although I doubt that there is any sword fights in American movies of the time."

"No, that's alright Shinobu I need to train and study," she said although her heart really wanted to say yes instead.

Motoko didn't soak very long because she needed to get ready. Keitaro had promised to help her later on, and they had agreed to meet in her room. Motoko got out and went into the changing room and dried herself, and then began to dry her hair. She had discovered something quite new about having shorter hair; that it certainly didn't take very long to dry. She put on her robe and made her way to her room.

* * *

A few minutes later, Motoko was in her room pawing through her wardrobe looking for something other than her regular kendo uniform. Her wardrobe certainly felt very small lately, and she noticed that lately it has been almost an impossible challenge to find something to wear. Usually she got would just dress in her traditional attire, but lately she found that she simply did not have enough clothes. Suddenly she stumbled across the shirt she received from Keitaro so very long ago, and she paused. That was the night she really embraced Keitaro. 'That was a very confusing night. I had wandered for hours in the rain totally depressed when he found me, and brought me home. He was so kind and gentle that night, he even brought me home snuck me in and loaned me this shirt and a pair of his shorts, so I could get into some dry clothes. He did it so I wouldn't have to face anyone that night.' That she had dreamed about that night several times, and her she also found her pencil righting about that night also. Suddenly another girlish thought crossed her mind 'what if he hadn't spoiled the mood with those stupid cloths pins. Who knows what could have happened.' a wide grin broke out over her face 'Those clothes pins were pretty funny' she thought. Another girlish thought hit her with force and the grin vanished 'did he put those on his face to break the mood? Does he not like me? Was he trying to avoid me? Or was it something else... could... '

There was a knock at the door, and Shippu squawked.

Motoko was startled awake from her day dreaming, and she looked towards the door.

"Motoko? Are you there?" .....

'Oh no! It's Keitaro' Motoko realized, she had been trying to find something to wear for over forty minutes! 'How long was I sitting there holding his shirt?!' she wondered, and then realized she was still holding his shirt. She had meant to give it back to him so many times. Every time she would get close to returning the shirt, somehow it found its way back into her closet. It seemed like it was either dirty because she had used it as a night shirt, or it needed to be washed. Right now the last thing she wanted Keitaro to see was her clutching the shirt that she had "borrowed" and couldn't return.

"Just a moment" she cried. Motoko began to panic she threw the shirt into the closet and quickly pushed some other cloths on top of it. Then quickly glancing around the room she checked to see that everything was in order. When she arrived at the door and opened it, and said "ok you can come in now."

Keitaro face was wide with surprise, and then he quickly cowered like his head was about to be severed. This puzzled Motoko for a few seconds when suddenly she realized what he had seen. She was still wearing only her bathrobe. In her panic to hide the shirt she had forgotten to get dressed, and the robe wasn't as tightly bound as it was when she was coming back from the bath.

"AAaah" Motoko squeaked and slammed the door shut. 'Oh my God, I can't believe I just did that.' The heat in Motoko's face was almost unbearable, and her heart was thumping so hard she could hear it.

"Sorry, I didn't mean too . . . I can come back later," a small voice from the other side of the door cried.

"No, wait a minute, I had just gotten out of the bath, I was just surprised is all," Motoko said.

She quickly threw on the closest thing she could, and put it on without really checking. She found herself a pair of white shorts, and a light blue tank-top with white lettering that said I.A.C. and in small print underneath it said "I Am Cute" on it. She realized that she hadn't yet put a underwear on, and this tank top certainly wouldn't leave too much to the imagination. She went to open the drawer and get out some of the undergarments that Kanako had given her, and then after a second thought she grabbed one of the new bras and panty sets she had purchased this week with Mitsune's and Kanako help. Kanako had given her a few hand-me-downs, but because she had stopped binding her breasts up, she found she needed quite a few more bras then the ones Kanako had given her. How Kitsune and Kanako had convinced her that she needed to buy a very lacy bra and matching panties was beyond her understanding. She had been worried because they were a very non conservative pink labeled "passion pink". She quickly put them on, and soon noticed that something inside her suddenly felt just a little bolder wearing something that was lacy and "passion pink." Then she quickly put on the tank-top and shorts.

Maybe they were right about that kind of underwear. A thought entered her mind 'look at me... all concerned about clothes. What would the old Motoko say about that! . . . . Maybe I have changed more than I have noticed.'

She regained her composure log enough to say "Sorry about that Keitaro, it's safe to come in now." She tried to reign in her racing heart by some of her calming deep breathing exercises.

A head carefully peeked into the room, followed cautiously by the rest of Keitaro.

Motoko noticing that he seemed to be on the defensive said "Don't worry, I am not going to hit you, it was my fault, I wasn't really paying attention to what I was wearing. I was kind of distracted is all, and I have had a lot on my mind," for some reason her heart was pounding again.

Keitaro seemed to relax a bit, however he still looked like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. "Umm.... Well what do we get started on?"

"I don't know, but sit down while I brush my hair, this will take just a moment."

She grabbed a brush, and began brushing her hair. She wished that she hadn't waited quite so long after the bath to do this, because there were quite a few tangles in her hair that needed worked out. It certainly would have been much easier had she done this earlier.

Keitaro in the mean time had set his books and note books out on her small round table, and now found his eyes wandering. Shippu seemed to take an interest in what he was doing by cocking his head at Keitaro. His eyes fell upon Motoko brushing out her hair, and found it very hard to find something else to look at in the room.

Her warrior senses could feel his eyes staring at her, and she began to blush. She couldn't help but look over and check to see if he really was staring at her. His eyes quickly darted down to his books, and he said "Well you did say you wanted help with math."

* * *

Unknown by both Motoko and Keitaro someone else besides Keitaro happened to catch a glimpse of Motoko's free show, and just about went over there and give him one of her solid patented pending right hooks. When a sudden flashback of a quiet voice in the dark that said _"Please, don't. ... No, stop talking, and just hold me..." _stopped her dead in her tracks. A few seconds after Keitaro had gone in Motoko's room Naru could be seen storming down the steps of Hinata Inn like a small storm, and an occasional rumbling "pervert" and "just die" could be heard.

* * *

Voices down by the river were speaking, had there been an observer they might have heard but not seen three old men talking and plotting.

"That went as we expected."

"Of course it did, why wouldn't it have?"

"Now we just need to do a little more pushing, and things will start to progress nicely towards our goal"

* * *

Keitaro found himself trying to reconnect his mental circuitry and regain his surroundings. He also felt something very soft cupped in his hand. His instincts kicked in and he let go and cried "Sorry Naru!" But when is eyes finally focused he realized he wasn't in his room but Motoko's. 'Oh man, what have I done, I fell asleep on Motoko. I wonder if she is mad at me for sleeping through her study session.' He was still trying to clear the fog in his brain when he realized why he wasn't able to move. Motoko had also fallen asleep on Keitaro... litteraly. She was laying her head and upper body on him, and it had been her that his wandering hand had found in his sleep. 'How on earth did this happen, and what am I going to tell Naru!' then the thought hit him, 'Oh if I did that I would be a dead man.'

He furiously thought how am I going to get out of this one? Since he was still partially pinned under Motoko, and if he wasn't careful he might find himself dead before Naru even got a hold of him. He gently began moving Motoko off him like he was trying to diffuse a bomb, and in some sense he really was diffusing a bomb. 'If Motoko finds me touching her in her sleep, I am as good as dead,' he thought. Several minutes later he had Motoko's head gently resting on a duffle bag that seemed soft, and had also been within reach.

The whole process went without a hitch, but was carefully observed and scrutinized by a yellow bird that seemed to know more than he would be willing to say.

'That one was a close one' he sighed. 'I'd better go before she wakes up.' He began gathering up his books and other study equipment, when he found his eyes once again staring at her. 'She looks really beautiful and innocent when she is asleep. Although she is not at all that different from a sleeping tiger, except this tigress only had one really long sharp claw that could cut through just about anything, and a couple of mean right and left hooks.'

On his way out, he had one final thought, and spotted a light blanket, and gently placed it on her and quietly left the room. Then he left Motoko under the watchful eye of Shippu.

* * *

Motoko was warming herself by a happy little fire. The fire danced its warmth into her body and it felt very safe, while the night snow was gently falling all around them. The fire was very warm and reassuring and made her feel at peace, and it kept the dark and the cold out. As she rested by the fire, she was just enjoying the very warm happy crackle and pop of the dancers in yellow and orange costumes. An every so often there would be an occasional hiss as a particularly large snow flake would fall into join the dance of the flames.

A slight breeze started to pickup out of no where and the warm fire wasn't warm enough, and the snow began to move around as she furiously huddled closer to the fire. The breeze took a few minutes to once again die down to nothing, but the fire had changed. Something wasn't quite as warm or safe or as comforting as it was before. But there was still something vaguely familiar about it. She continued to watch the flames waiting for them to come back alive and dance their happy dance, but it never happened as she watched the fire through the rest of the night.

All the while she was huddling by the small fire, there were a pair of knowing eyes was watching her and guarding her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

The tears wouldn't stop falling, 'why am I acting like this, what is going on with me?' Naru asked herself. She was sitting in a small sand box on a plastic turtle. 'How come I am never first in his life, why is it always someone else?'

'It probably not really his fault, after all he cant really change who he is, he will always be a perverted lecher, but that doesn't give others a right to use his weaknesses against him. That idiot would probably make out with a rock if it gave him the time of day' she said trying to give Keitaro the benefit of the doubt.

Another thought came to her, 'No, that jerk is always going to be like this, I'm always going to be number two. But why does that idiot chase after all those girls, is he trying to fill the number one in his life?'

She then softly said "Aren't I good enough for him?"

She waited for a response and none came. 'I guess this plastic turtle doesn't know either' she thought.

It had been hours since she had been home, and it was getting time for dinner. She didn't want to let anybody else know she was really having problems right now, so she slowly made her way back to the Inn. 'If its one thing I am good at, it would be hiding my feelings an emotions.'

* * *

Motoko opened her eyes to the smell of Shinobu's cooking that had been making its way through the house.

She realized she had fallen asleep while studying and she could vaguely remember Keitaro falling asleep. She also remembers that he was asleep for some time, and he was supposed to be helping her. That's why it had gotten so quiet... The solitude and peaceful breathing of Keitaro had affected her.

The mental image came of her sitting here at the table they were studying at and staring at Keitaro sleeping on the floor. 'He looked so cute' she said. The rest of the image seemed to disappear. She couldn't quite remember what had happened. It was like looking through too many panes of glass... the image seemed to just fade to grey.

She didn't remember getting a blanket out, or when Keitaro left. She looked at Shippu, and said "what happened?" Shippu only cocked a yellow head that seemed to say "wouldn't you like to know"

She quickly checked her cloths and brushed out a few wrinkles that she had obtained from sleeping. She put on a pair of white socks, and her house slippers. She checked her hair to make sure that she didn't have any stray hair going in weird directions. 'What am I doing?' she asked herself, 'was I ever really this vain?' She didn't know the answer to that question, but regardless she picked up her brush and gave her hair a quick brushing.

She looked at Shippu and said "How do I look?" Shippu's response was to settle on the perch in a more relaxed state. "I guess I will take that as an O.K."

She opened the door to her room only to be attacked by a blond streak of energy. "Motoko! Shinobu sent me to get everybody!" Motoko peeled off of her a short blond person that had some how managed to somehow tangle her arms and legs up with Motoko's enough that it proved difficult to accomplish.

Finally free of the tangle Motoko said "O.K. I will be right down."

Satisfied the ball of energy said "Now for Keitaro!", and out of no where Su pulled out a remote control device and with a maniacal giggle she was off heading towards her next victim.

Treading down the hall she was just about to Naru's room when the door of her room slid open. Naru stepped out into the open, and was slightly startled by Motoko's presence out in the hall. Naru looked at Motoko, and said nothing. However the look on Naru's face probably could have froze a charging bull. Naru then turned and with a very feminine quarter spin and a hair flip that seemed to say "HA!" in a very cold way. Naru then began walking down the hall to the stairs.

'I am not going to loose that idiot to an unfeminine sword freak like her' Naru said to herself as she walked to the top of the stairs.

Motoko was a little stunned by the very cold look she had just received from Naru. 'I guess she is angry about something again, but what would I have done to make her send icicles my way,' she wondered. Then she once again began to move, and fell into step behind Naru.

They were proceeding down the stairs and Naru was just about at the bottom when an explosion seemed strong enough to shake the dust out of the ceiling and a very Keitaro like scream could be heard from outside. Motoko was distracted by the sound of a scream that seemed to be moving at high velocity over top of the inn. Her head followed the scream as if she had X-Ray vision. She didn't notice that Naru had stopped her progression down the stairs. The scream stopped and Motoko once again turned her head to watch where she was going. 'Woah!' she thought as she was suddenly startled by Naru's presence a few centimeters away and she was about to collide when instinct took over and Motoko raised her arms in defense desperately trying to stop her forward momentum. However her she was too late and she couldn't stop fast enough and her hands came to rest on Naru's back. Naru stumbled down the last two steps carried by the momentum that Motoko had transferred to her. Naru was just taken off balance for just a second but she regained her composure after a few extra steps. When she came to a stop she turned and looked at Motoko as if demanding an explanation.

"Sorry about that Naru, I was just surprised" Motoko said rubbing her hand in her hair like a kid that had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

'Yea right!' Naru said to herself, and without saying a word continued her journey to the kitchen.

Motoko looked down at her feet in puzzlement. 'What just happened' she said to herself. There was no response, and she didn't understand. This was a whole new world for Motoko, feelings and girl behavior was a whole new game that Motoko was late in joining. She was also doing it without learning the rules that most girls her age had learned on the playground in elementary school.

'Push comes to shove, I am going to start fighting dirty,' Naru said to herself as she entered the dining room that was just off the kitchen. 'Accident my butt she did that intentionally'

* * *

'Shinobu's dinner was excellent; it even had exceeded her normal meals' Keitaro noticed. "Shinobu this is really good!" he said. He was desperate; the atmosphere at the table had been so incredibly awkward tonight. He could feel the tension in the air, but couldn't understand the source. Even the energetic Su was subdued by it.

Shinobu blushed, "Thank you Sempai, w.. would..d you like some more?"

"No thank you, really I am stuffed, it was excellent," he said.

"Kay... I will start cleaning up then." Shinobu said. She had also noticed the atmosphere at the table and was disappointed she was hoping the dinner would have been in a much lighter environment. She had cooked it especially to say thank you.

"Here let me help you" he said, and he started gathering up plates. Motoko and Naru had both avoided looking anyplace but at their plates all night. They both suddenly got up and excused themselves from the table, and went in different directions.

'That pervert, first Motoko and now Shinobu again!' Naru said angrily on her way to her room. She felt veins begin to bulge on her forehead as the blood pressure started to rise. She couldn't help but begin to clench her fists.

* * *

Motoko went outside long enough to wait for Naru to go wherever she was going. The cool night air felt good in her lungs, it felt like she hadn't tasted fresh air for days. 'I was suffocating in there, I was almost ready to scream at Naru, What was happening? Why was I reacting to Naru like that? Hell! Why was Naru acting like that? ... I don't understand.... I .... '

Motoko sniffled, and then rubbed her damp eyes and stared at the dampness on her hands with a very puzzled look. 'I am even crying now?!... God I am so confused! What is happening to me?' Her legs suddenly felt very heavy like they were collapsing from the pressure of her upper body, and she quickly found a place to sit down.

Her brain was racing full of questions without answers and no one to talk too. The one person that seemed like she wanted to help Motoko had been called away by Granny Hina earlier last week. 'I never thought that I would actually want Kanako here, but I need..... something....'

She turned and decided to go work out. She went inside and using all of her skills that she knew, stealthily went in her room and grabbed her bokken, and snuck back out of her room. She quickly went up to the roof to try to clear her thoughts through physical exercises.

What she failed notice while she was in her room is that Shippu wasn't on her perch. However there were two seemingly knowing eyes watching her while she walked around outside. These same eyes watched her make her way to her practice area on the roof. They also watched over her as she was attempting to work her frustrations out. It was like the air had become a mortal enemy to her.

* * *

Meanwhile Kitsune had tried her best to ignore what was happening at the table by quietly drinking her sake. It didn't take much for her foxy eyes to figure out what was happening. She knew enough to not say anything that might set off the potential bomb with a sensitive triggering device. Once both of them left the table it was like someone had opened a window and let all the friction out. What is up with those two? Naru acted like she was ready to leap across the table and kill Motoko at the drop of a hat. Motoko was no better; she was wound up tighter than a cornered cat ready to lash out if anything flew her way. She had stayed until the table was cleaned off and Keitaro was giving the table wipe down with a damp cloth. Shinobu was in the kitchen humming up a storm. And Su had already gone off making adjustments to her latest device in order to "optimize the launch trajectory" she had said.

'That's it... this someone is going to have to do something.' she said to herself. She got up from the table and made her way to her room. She was going to need a little bit of "courage", and besides this may be her last drink ever. She had a special bottle that she had been saving, and if this might be it... She had hid it behind some large books, in her room, for a night when she really needed to forget something. When she got to her room she quickly changed into her robe and shorts that she wore to go to sleep, she wanted to be comfortable if she was going to go face Naru. Then she got up on her chair, and moved the large books on the top shelf out of the way, and pulled out a tall round clear unmarked bottle of colorless liquid.

She took a small swig straight from the bottle, and put the stopper back in the top, and set it on her desk. She approached the door to her room, and she had the sudden mental image of someone playing _Taps_ on a bugle and seven soldiers standing in a row, firing three rounds in unison over an open grave. She quickly returned to her special sauce and poured one very full glass, and finished it off like she was in a drinking game. She then stepped out of her room, and went up the stairs to Naru's room. She paused briefly outside and then knocked gently. "Naru... it's me Kitsune."

She waited. "Pardon my intrusion" and she opened the door and stepped inside Naru's room. Mitsune's eyes went wide. Around the room it was in shambles... Books were off the shelf and scattered about the room. One of her notebooks was in pieces and the table was on its top lying upside down on its table top. The storm that had passed through this room was now sitting over in the corner in the next room, huddled in a small ball.

Kitsune carefully approached the storm, and realized that it was no longer a hurricane but a small rain storm. As quiet sobs wracked the small figure Kitsune couldn't help but put a tear in her own eye. "Naru.... are ... are you ok?" Kitsune asked.

Her only response was a shudder and a sob.

"Naru .... I have known you a long time, what is going on? ... Why are you acting like this?"

"Naru.... did something happen.... Did Keitaro do something to you? ... Did Motoko...?" she asked carefully.

There was another shudder and a couple of sobs this time.

Mitsune sat near Naru for several minutes. She was waiting hoping to get some kind of response out of her old friend. It was breaking her heart to see her like this. She gingerly reached over and tried to put her arm over Naru's shoulder, when Naru suddenly brushed it away.

The unexpected response was unnerving for Mitsune. This was her best friend going through high school, and if anybody was supposed to be here for Naru it was her. 'What was going on?' she wondered. 'Now she is not talking to me too?'

"Why are you upset, are you mad at me too?" Mitsune asked.

After several painful minutes a small voice finally said "Just leave me alone."

"Why should I leave you alone? You obviously are in pain and something is very wrong Naru, and I want to help."

"You just want to help yourself" Naru said in a cold voice said.

Mitsune was startled, 'where'd that come from!' she wondered.

"What do you mean?" Mitsune asked.

"Your just like the rest of them", Naru said and she turned to Kitsune and pulled back one of her hands and then SLAP!

Kitsune was in shock, her face was stinging badly. She put her hand over the spot that she had just been struck. Tears were forming in her eyes, both from the pain and the shock. Naru had never before struck her, not even in a jest, so to be struck like that was so unexpected. Naru then proceeded to get up and forcibly pickup Mitsune and push her out the door to her room.

Standing out side the door Mitsune was dumbfounded. She stood there for a few moments wondering what to do, clutching her face, and wiping the tears with the other hand. Finally she started to move, going to go quietly back to her room to find more of that soothing liquid from her special bottle.

* * *

"Sempai?"

"Yes Shinobu?" Keitaro responded.

"Are you avoiding Naru-sempai?"

There was a long pause. "Yes, for now she needs space, every time I try to get close to her, she decks me one. I keep waking up in rooms other than the one I was just in."

"I am just concerned, because Naru sounds like she really needs a friend when I talk to her. She needs someone to talk to. She seemed really upset all this week, and I don't know what to do about it."

"O.K. I will try again tonight to talk to her. Maybe she is ready to talk." Keitaro tried his best to hide his worry in his voice. He knew that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to try tonight. Damn he just didn't understand women in general, how was he supposed to help.

They quickly dried the dishes, and Keitaro went back to his room. As he rounded the corner, he saw a much stooped shouldered Kitsune clutching her face, as she headed towards her room. "Kitsune, what's going on, don't tell me you're upset at something too." He then added "have you been crying?"

Kitsune looked back at Keitaro, and she was still holding one of her cheeks. She then said, "Wait for me in your room, we need to talk."

He had been right, by the look on her face, she had been crying. He went into his room and waited for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

* * *

She went into her room, and grabbed the whole bottle of her special moonshine, and took three or four good swigs right out of the bottle. She wiped the tears out of her eyes, and rubbed her cheek trying to make it not so red. She couldn't let Keitaro know how hard Naru had hit her, but after she told him what happened, he might be able to help her. Then poured her self another drink, and as an after thought grabbed an empty glass for Keitaro too. 'He is gonna need some of this when I tell him what happened' she thought. She then put the stopper in the top of the bottle, and put the bottle under one arm, and grabbed both glasses. She walked with the bottle and a glass in each hand over to Keitaro's room.

Kitsune gently kicked the door with her foot, and said "Keitaro, its me, my hands are full."

He came, and opened the door, and saw what she had in both hands, and said "No, Kitsune, tonight isn't the night for a party." The vapors of her breath were pretty overpowering. She had evidently been drinking something pretty strong, or a lot of something, or both. He didn't think that it was a good idea for her to be there, especially as he was going to go take a bath. He had only his pants on, he was going to change into his robe when she knocked on the door.

"Who said anything about a party, this is serious, it's about Naru" she said, and in one gulp downed all the liquid in her glass.

Upon hearing Naru mentioned he quickly moved out of the way and let her enter. She then said "clear off a space on the table for these." She said motioning to the glasses and the unmarked bottle of clear liquid. He had been studying all day, and the table was covered with books.

"O.K." he said, and he began to clear the table off. When he finally got room on the table, Kitsune began walking towards the table. As she was just about there, her weight shifted kind of funny to one side, and she tried to re-adjust. But it was hard with two glasses and a bottle of liquor under one arm. The bottle fell from under her arms down to the floor, and her left foot stepped awkwardly on the bottle, and she fell towards Keitaro, and they hit their heads together with a loud Smack!.

* * *

Keitaro opened his eyes, and he could see Naru looking down at him through the hole in the ceiling. It was hard to really see the look on her face as he could only see a fuzzy shape. He realized he didn't have his glasses on, and he didn't recall where he put it. Who else could it have been but Naru looking down the hole at him?

"I Knew I couldn't trust either one of you! If you ever come near me again you bastard you're going to pay!" she yelled, and suddenly slammed the board over the hole, and he could hear the sounds of Naru moving her dresser onto the top of the board over the hole. He went to go move his arm to cry wait.... and he realized it was once again holding something very soft. He then smelled very strong alcohol smells, and realized that this time he was holding one of Kitsune's butt cheeks with one of his hands and quickly let go. He had no idea how long they had been there like that, but it was long enough for Kitsune to be asleep rather than just passed out.

She was completely lying on top of him, and her head was on his chest right below his. Kitsune's hand was pressing against his chest right next to her face. Her robe had slipped quite a bit down, so that both shoulders were completely exposed. He resisted the best he could to stop from getting excited by trying to think about algebra.

"Oh God... What this would look like from above!" he said out loud. Kitsune was completely passed out. He scampered out from under her and then stood on his table and got close to the hole and yelled "Naru This isn't what it looks like, I can explain"

To which a crash could be heard above, like several books slamming down onto the floor.

'I have got to go explain.' He said to himself. He looked around at Kitsune lying on the floor face down, 'but first things first, I have to get Kitsune back to her room. He grabbed his shirts off the floor, the ones he was wearing earlier, and quickly put them on. 'I can't have her here if I am going to go talk to Naru.' He got behind Kitsune, and pulled her robe up over her shoulders. He then tried to get a hand under her waist, and felt skin. Her robe had become a bit more open than he thought. He quickly lifted her, to a semi kneeling position, and adjusted the robe from behind her. After tightening her sash around her waist, he went around to the side of her, and moved her around so that he could pick her up. 'She is surprisingly light' he thought as he carried her to the door. He slid the door open with his foot, and continued next door to Kitsune's room. Her door was left open so he entered the room, and set Kitsune down on her futon. He grabbed a blanket that she had, and set it over her. 'I will ask Shinobu or someone to check on her later' he thought.

Motoko had worked up quite a sweat, she was gasping for air. Her heart was pounding so furiously she thought she could hear it. She wiped the sweat off of her brow with her arm. She had been working out in her cloths she had worn earlier when she had been studying with Keitaro. Her shoulders were sore where they normally didn't have any straps cutting in her. 'Damn, how do most women even stand this?' she thought.

She thought about it for a minute and decided that she was not quite ready to walk past Naru's room again. 'I'll go soak in the hot springs for a bit, and wash up. I am drenched from this workout as it is.' She made her way down to the first floor, and into the laundry room. She quickly undressed and grabbed a couple of clean towels and robe out off of the shelf. She put her clothes and a few others that were in the hamper that she had in the laundry room. She then made her way into the changing room, and grabbed her bucket of shampoo and soaps. She quickly washed her body off, and gingerly massaged her sore shoulders.

She then stepped carefully into the hot springs. Now days she always brought a towel into the hot springs with her, mostly because it was a forced habit. The other reasons were because everybody else did, and most of all, no one could ever predict when Keitaro would happen to be coming into the bath. She blushed with the thought of Keitaro coming into the bath and seeing her. 'Gaah... Why am I thinking about that!' she thought.

She made her way to the deeper part so that she could soak her shoulders too. She could feel the penetrating heat absorbing into her sore muscles and her shoulders too. Just sitting there her mind began to wander again, she was thinking about everything that happened today. Soon she found her heart racing again and confusion starting to set in. 'Why..... what.... who... why.. how ...' Realizing what was happening she quickly attempted one of her focusing techniques and found the voice in her head join her slowly in quiet meditation. 'Ahh... much better' she thought.

* * *

He had run up the stairs as fast as he could and was standing outside of Naru's door. "Naru listen to me, it's not what you think!" He paused, nothing. "Naru Kitsune came to see me because she was worried about you. She just slipped that all"

Nothing... he grabbed the handle to her door and began to slide it open. "Naru I am coming in! Let me explain."

Her room was dark and he couldn't see anything, once he got the door all the way open. He lifted his foot to take a step in. A voice from inside the room said "You do that and you're a dead man" she said.

"Naru, Stop it! I am coming in because I am worried about you." He placed the foot he had lifted on the floor of Naru's room. Half expecting it, and half surprised, he found he was receiving a right hook. Once again he found himself flying through the air again. 'My jaw will probably be broken and need to be wired shut after that one' he thought. "AAAAIIiiiiiiiiiieeee" his scream had escaped from him, as he was hurtling through the air. He opened his eyes, and saw a rock that was out in the hot springs coming straight at him at high velocity, or the other way around. A tingling sensation started to burn in his chest, 'Is this what it feels like to die?' he thought as the burning sensation increased. It was like something wanted to burst out of his chest.

The rock suddenly came up to meet him. CRACK! .. It suddenly went dark, and he could feel hot water flowing around and over top of him... 'Great not only did I crack my head open, but I am going to drowned too?' was his final thought as the darkness was overpowering him.

* * *

"AAAAIIiiiiiiiiiieeee!"

Keitaro's scream shook Motoko out of her meditation, purly by reflex she quickly checked to make sure she had covered herself with her towel, and then looked around for Keitaro. Motoko spotted him flying through the air towards the hot springs.

For a second there, it almost looked like he was glowing, and then suddenly CRACK!..

The boulder he hit split in half and his body went limp and fell into the water. Motoko's First instinct was to launch him again with her bokken, but she saw that he was completely passed out face down in the water. She quickly went over to him and pulled his head out of the water, and using his natural buoyancy brought him over to the shallow end. She checked to make sure he still had a pulse, and was breathing. The lump on his head was beginning to swell to the size of an egg. Her first thought was to pull him completely out of the water, but she didn't know how long he would be out, and didn't want him to freeze in the cold night air.

With quiet resolve, she sat down in the shallow end, and placed his head in her lap, and let the rest of his body rest underwater on the stone bench she was on. After several minutes he still wasn't stirring she wondered what to do. 'I can't leave him in here,' she thought. So she decided that she had best try to get him to his room. She picked up his drenched limp body and set it on the side of the bath next to the edge. She stepped out and quickly dried herself and put her bath robe on. She then picked him up and water was still pouring off him in droves out of his cloths.

'I guess we will have to leave some of his wet clothes here, he will get everything including his bed all wet if he is like this, and if that happens he will probably catch a cold,' she thought. Her heart began to beat much faster, and a blush formed on her face. 'Gaah... I can't be thinking about things like that at a time like this' she thought. She quickly reigned in her thumping heart, and quietly pulled Keitaro's both of his shirts off. That night he had been wearing a white t-shirt with one of his button up shirts underneath. She couldn't help but to run her fingers down his chest, he actually did have quite nice form, and chiseled abs. 'It must be all the shoveling with Seta on his digs and the cleaning and repair around here' she thought.

She then carefully removed his belt and unbuttoned his pants; her heart began to thump so hard that she thought it was going to leap out of her chest. 'Why is my heart pounding like that, what am I thinking about? This is an emergency,' she reasoned with herself. It was kind of awkward getting his pants off without removing his boxers, as they wanted to stick to his pants. After several grueling heart pounding moments, she finally got them off.

She dried him off the best she could with one of the towels she had used. She got all the water off of his legs and his arms and upper body, and then gingerly dried his hair around the newly formed goose egg on the crown of his fore head. She couldn't stop her self from staring at his lips. Like so many times before she just desired to kiss him. Both in person and in her novels she had written, and like so many other times her lips met his in a soft gentle kiss. After a few minutes their lips parted, and she thought 'Just once I would like for him to kiss me or return the kiss that I am giving him. Why is it always a one sided kiss with him, he is either asleep, passed out, or possessed.'

His body started to get goose bumps on his skin, and she once again was recalled back to the current situation from her daydreaming. She then gently picked him up and put him on her back, and walked her way into the inn. He seemed a lot heavier than he normally did when she had had to carry him. 'Either he is putting on weight, or I am getting weaker', she thought. His wet boxers were making a wet spot on her back as she carried him to his room. He had left the door open to his room, and she went inside. She carefully set him down on his futon, and looked around. There was a bottle and two glasses on the floor. 'What was that about?' she wondered. She pulled out of his cupboard the blankets he used, and pillow. She carefully picked up his head and placed it on his pillow, and put his blanket over top of him.

Suddenly her heart began to beat furiously again. 'I can't leave him sleeping in wet undergarments,' she thought. She lifted up the edge of the blanket, and placed her hands under the blanket. Her heart was beating so hard that it felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. Trying to maintain modesty she fumbled around under the blankets, and she soon found the top of his boxers. She began to pull them down she got them below his knees, and then lifted the bottom of his blanket up, and quickly pulled them off, and replaced the blanket. 'That wasn't so bad' she thought, as she was trying to calm her heart from racing.

"I wonder.....' she began thinking about what was under the cover. Her heart started beating furiously as her hand slowly crept to the edge of the blanket. 'No, I won't do it, or I would be no better than one of the perverts that I despise so much.' She sat down and forced a mental picture of calmness to come over her to try to still her heart from trying to escape its cage.

She sat there wondering if she should stay and watch over him or not. She decided that it would probably be a good idea to stay just until he regains consciousness. She looked around the room again, and found the bottle and two of Kitsune's glasses catching her eye. She went over and picked up the glasses and bottle, and saw the lipstick on one of the glasses. Her suspicion began to rise, and she examined the other glass. It was dry and clean. She then noticed lipstick on the top of the bottle, and thought 'Kitsune what were you doing?'

She gathered up the glasses and the bottle, and went next door. Kitsune's door was also left open, and there Kitsune was sprawled out on her futon. She had kicked her blanket off, and was shivering from the cold night air that was coming in through the open door. She also noticed the smell that Mitsune was giving off, and the fact that she had not changed in to her night shirt.

'Kitsune what were you doing in Keitaro's room?' she thought. She placed the bottle and glasses on the desk, and she gathered up the blanket. She then adjusted Mitsune so she wasn't sprawled all over the place, and placed her under the blanket. 'Was Keitaro doing something with her?.. No probably not, the second glass was completely dry. He could have tried something if she had passed out though.' She thought. 'No, probably not, he is kinder than that. He probably wouldn't have done anything like that, even if he is a bit of a pervert.'

She got up and went to go back to Keitaro's room making sure to shut Kitsune's door. She went and got his boxers, and then went back out into the bath and grabbed the rest of the wet cloths. She took them back to the laundry room, and realized she hadn't started her own load yet, so she threw his cloths in with hers and started the batch. Kitsune had warned her that she had to wash things on delicate if she was going to wear lace, so she started the load on delicate. She grabbed a washcloth from the changing room, stopped by the sink and wrapped a little crushed ice in it. She then went back to Keitaro's room and closed the door behind her and sat down by the bed. 'I am just going to watch over him for a little bit' she thought. She placed the washcloth that had she had prepared over the bump on his fore head.

She watched over him for quite some time, and her eyes began to feel very heavy and her head began to seep lower and lower. Soon she found herself completely asleep.

* * *

She once again found herself in the peaceful midnight snow, sitting by the warm and happy fire. She changed positions many times to try to get closer to the fire, trying to keep both sides of her warm at once. After a few minutes she finally found a good position that seemed to keep her warm enough on both sides, and the warmth that was coming from the fire seemed to go straight through her to warm her all over at once. This time its warmth was amazing, it seemed to penetrate her even her soul, and chase her fears away. She quietly watched the fire happily dance its regular happy rhythm all night long.

Once again, two eyes carefully watched from just beyond the fires warm light.

* * *

Su knocked on Shinobu's door.

"Yes" a sleepy sounding voice said inside.

"Shinobu its Kaolla, can I come in?" Su asked.

"Hu... wha.... I guess so... come on in" Shinobu

Su entered the room, and closed the door behind her. She was in her pajamas and holding her big stuffed banana. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked.

Shinobu blinked in surprise... "Why do you want to sleep with me tonight?" Shinobu questioned. Su didn't answer right away, she just looked at her all doe eyed. "Sure I guess," she said caving to the power of the doe eyes.

"Yay!" Su leaped over and quickly climbed under the covers of Shinobu's futon next to her.

Shinobu turned her back to Su to go to sleep, and casually said "how come you aren't sleeping with Motoko?"

Su casually answered "Oh ... I went to Motoko's room, she wasn't there, and so I went to go sleep with Keitaro. My spot with Keitaro had already been taken by Motoko, so I came here"

"Oh", said Shinobu, and she closed her eyes to go to back to sleep. They opened again with a start. "She what?!... Sempai..." and then quickly blackness had descended on her as she fainted away, which later resolved into the deep rhythmic breathing of sleep.

* * *

The storm in Naru's room subsided into a small rainstorm again, and then down once again to nothing, as the creator of the storm finally found a teary sleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

Haruka was locking the downstairs door of her tea house, and she spotted three old men walking down the road in the night fog coming off the river. She knew who they were, but what she wondered is what business had brought them out.

She listened quietly at the door to try and catch their conversation. Hear ears strained to hear anything but the cackling of old men laughing to themselves. The only thing she heard clearly as they passed by was "..... and he almost woke up this time"

Another one said "One more time should ......." The voices disappeared down the street.

She thought furiously, 'They can't mean Keitaro can they?' as she finished locking the door. What she didn't notice is the large dark shape that flew off from the top of the wall on the other side of the street from her. It had also been listening to the old men.

She picked up the phone and dialed granny Hina's number.

"Hello?"

"Granny, I think they are after Keitaro again, like they did when he was a child, and I think they are doing it again. Umm... do you think he is ready?"

"Ha! I bet you thought I was really there?" Haruka's vein in her forehead began to pulse with frustration. "Well guess what... I'm Not, but I will give you one guess where I am. ... ... ... You didn't try to answer that did you, didn't you learn the first time? Well leave a message after the beep. That is unless now you are too embarrassed too." BEEP

"Granny, I think they are after Keitaro again, like they did when he was here last time. Do you think he is ready? Also a side note... You know how I hate it when you make the answering machine like that."

She hung up the phone and said "I hope he is ready, this time we may not be able to stop them." She then took out one of her small white poison sticks and lit it, letting the comforting smell surround her.

* * *

Naru's eyes opened and it was dawn. 'What is the matter with me, yesterday I behaved like a total idiot, I even yelled at Kitsune.' She looked around her disheveled room, and then started gathering up things. She replaced all the books on her bookshelf, and gathered up the papers that were scattered around the room.

'Today I am going to talk to Keitaro, and tell him how I feel, and how it upsets me when he's always helping Motoko and the others,' she thought. She figured that yesterday was something she just needed to get out of her system.

'First things first' she thought, 'I'm gonna go apologize to Kitsune and Motoko. They are my friends and I have been pretty upset lately, and I may have acted a little out of whack and said or did some things to upset them. Besides, it's entirely his fault anyway,' she thought.

She looked at her alarm clock, it was still only 6 am, so she decided that she would clean her room some more. She finished picking up her room, and gathered all of her clothes into her laundry basket that she kept up here. She also had some down in the laundry room. 'I think I have about a loads worth of laundry, I'll do that'

She went down stairs, and got the detergent off the shelf, and gathered up all of her clothes that she would wash in this load. She opened the washer, and realized someone had left their cloths in the washer, and she began pulling them out to put in the dryer. It didn't take her but a few seconds to determine that these were Motoko's clothes. What surprised her is the bold lacy hot pink bra that she pulled out. "My My" she said as she was pulling it out, and she soon spotted the panties too. 'Motoko wearing something this bold, I'd have never thought to see the day' she thought.

Suddenly her eyes bulged out, as she spotted a pair of Keitaro's pants, and then she saw a pair of his boxers. She had known right away that they were his; she had seen them many times. She further examined the laundry and spotted the rest of the clothes he was wearing last night.

She walked out of the laundry room in a kind of stupor and a thought crossed her mind 'Why are Motoko and Keitaro doing laundry together?' She suddenly remembered a small voice in the middle of the night that said, _"Please, don't. ... No, stop talking, and just hold me..."_

'That pervert!' She stormed up the stairs to Motoko's room and slammed open the door. "What is going on in here!" she yelled. Then she realized that the room was very empty, and Motoko's futon was still rolled up from yesterday. It meant Motoko hadn't even used it, because it wasn't being aired out.

She became very quiet and walked down the stairs and opened the door to Keitaro's room a crack, and peeked in. She then slid the door closed, and then stepped away from the door. She walked to the entry way, and slowly put on her shoes while desperately trying to hold back the tears. She then went outside and went for a walk that was haunted by a voice that said, _"Please, don't. ... No, stop talking, and just hold me..." _

* * *

Motoko was smiling, she didn't know why but she was just very happy. Her whole body was relaxed and refreshed. It was like she hadn't had real sleep her whole entire life and that this was the first night she truly was refreshed. She was regaining her senses and she realized that she was lying clutching something wonderfully warm. She also noticed that it was pressed up against her bare skin of her breasts and stomach, and it was very smooth. She opened her eyes, and found Keitaro's face right next to hers.

She began to panic 'How did I end up here?' she asked herself, and she tried to calm her racing heart. She then realized that her robe had come open and she was mostly lying naked with Keitaro and her arms had somehow grabbed hold of him in an embrace. She didn't want to wake him up and have him find them like this, so she tried to disentangle her arms. She also became aware that their legs were also entwined. She slowly tried to move away and realized that his arms had become wrapped around her also.

'Why don't you just lie here for a while it will be all right, he's probably still out of it after that boulder crushing impact last night' her brain thought. The temperature of her face just rose what felt like another few degrees, as she became embarrassed at her own thoughts. 'What if someone finds us like this' she thought. 'Just a few more minutes it will be ok, no one will find out' said another thought of hers. She relaxed again and waited. The rhythm of his breathing was very soothing, and she felt at peace. 'So this is what it feels like to wake up next to someone that you ... love,' she thought. She almost was about to go back to sleep she was so relaxed.

'No.... he is still in love with Naru, this isn't right.' She decided that she had better some how get out of this situation.

After much wriggling she finally got one of her arms loose. The contact on her chest of his bare skin somehow thrilled her and caused her to blush while she was trying to escape his arms. Her heart was pounding so hard and her face was felt like it would burn up as she tried to carefully climb out from under the. Soon she found her progress dampened because Keitaro had somehow wound up laying on most of her robe. Her arm was still in the sleeve of her robe, and both her arm and the robe were pinned under him. At first she tried to recover both her robe and her arm out from under him, and then thought that it might just awaken him to their embarrassing situation. So she gave up on recovering the robe as not to wake him, and pulled her arm out of the sleeve. She quickly made sure none of her robe was sticking out from under the blanket. She looked around the room, and went over to Keitaro's closet. She grabbed a shirt that would pass as a night shirt. She also grabbed one of his boxers from the third drawer down in his dresser, and put them on. She had known right where he kept his boxers. Mostly she knew because as of late, her curiosity was getting the better of her, so when Keitaro was out running errands, she was in his room investigating.

* * *

She made her way to the door and peeked out. 'Good no ones there' she thought as she stepped out and closed the door behind her. She started to go back up the stairs to her room, and when she had reached half way, Shinobu rounded the corner and spotted Motoko on the stairs.

"Oh... it's true!" she cried, and ran down the hall.

'Oh... No!' Motoko thought 'she knows something' and she began to give chase. Motoko having much longer legs and being in excellent athletic condition had caught up to Shinobu in no time.

"Shinobu Wait!" and she grabbed a hold of Shinobu's arm.

She pulled Shinobu around to face her, and saw Shinobu's face full of tears.

"What's going on?' she asked a very teary faced Shinobu.

"Kaolla said you were sleeping with sempai last night, your even wearing his clothes" she cried.

"Shhhh. Not so loud, you'll wake everybody up. Don't say it like that," Motoko said. 'I completely forgot about Su' she thought, 'she would have come last night to try and sleep in my room. What am I going to do now?'

"So ... it ... is ... true" she said in between her sobs.

Motoko thought furiously and then said "Well, you see Naru had hit him out into the bath, he hit his head on that large boulder in the middle of the springs and split it in half with his head! I helped him back to his room, and stayed by his side all night. I did it because I was worried. It is because that's the worst hit I have ever seen him take. You should see the size of the lump on his head. I didn't want to leave his side, so I borrowed some of his clothes." Motoko then thought 'Why am I lying to a child, she is going to suspect something more if Su says anything else. Well it isn't really a lie, its kind of the truth... I did stay by his side.' Motoko then turned so as to not let Shinobu see her blush.

"Is sempai hurt badly?" Shinobu asked.

Motoko then said "I think he will be ok, I just didn't want to leave his side after I got out of the bath, so I borrowed some of his cloths so I wouldn't have to leave for one second. I am going to get some herbs out of my room that may help him now that he is sleeping a lot calmer than he was. Maybe you should make breakfast just in case he wakes up." With that she let go of Shinobu's arm.

"Is it ok if I check on sempai?" she asked.

"Oh I think its ok just don't move him but don't take too long because the smell of your cooking might help wake him up."

"I won't, I'll hurry" she thought

'Please just don't look under the covers' she thought about him being quite naked and her robe under him. She then proceeded to walk down the hall to the other wing to get some clean cloths out of her room.

After Shinobu was halfway down the stairs, Motoko's pace quickened, and she darted into her room, and grabbed some clean cloths, and quickly took Keitaro's clothes off. She then briefly paused as a weird thought came to her. She picked up his clothes, and smelled them. It smelled a lot like Keitaro, and then she realized that it wasn't just the clothes that smelled like Keitaro, because she could still smell him on her arms. She tossed his clothes into her closet and closed the door and put on a pair of blue panties and bra, another from the new collection that she had recently purchased. She grabbed a black T-shirt and a pair of cargo pants that she had. She quickly darted out of her room and down the hall as quietly as she could, and quickly returned to Keitaro's room.

As she arrived, Shinobu was standing over him and whispered "I hope that you feel better soon sempai" and looked over at Motoko. She then walked up to Motoko and surprised Motoko with a hug. "Thank you for taking care of sempai last night, I'm sorry I kind of made a fuss over nothing," She whispered. With that, she bounced down the hall to the kitchen to begin breakfast.

'Phew' thought Motoko, and then she felt bad for deceiving Shinobu.

She closed his door and she then quickly went over to Keitaro, and decided what she was going to do. She pulled the covers down a bit, and she pulled her robe more underneath him and picked up his arm, and put it in the sleeve of her robe. Then rolled him back onto his back, and put his other arm in the other sleeve. She really didn't want to try and dress him in something else and this would be easier anyway. She really didn't want him to wake up on her while she was putting underwear on him. It was better this time because she wasn't naked like she was earlier. If he woke up now, and caught her pulling the robe around, she could make some kind of an excuse about the robe. She quickly closed it over him, and pushed it closed under the covers as far down as she could reach without exposing him, and tied the waste sash off, and then replaced the blanket.

Her heart had been pounding the entire time she was doing this. She had expected to get caught by someone doing what she was doing. 'What was I doing' she thought. She was a bit dumbfounded where did all this behavior come from? Sneaking around, lying to Shinobu, sleeping with Keitaro even. 'Well I didn't do anything except for sleep with him, it's not like we ...' she didn't finish her own thought, but the blush in her face let her know that her body knew what she was thinking. 'Gaah... where did that come from' she thought and tried once again to control her racing heart.

She checked the bump on his head, it still looked pretty nasty but it was half the size it was the night before. She found the washcloth that she had been using and went to the kitchen to get more ice. Shinobu was making a western style breakfast including eggs and pancakes and sausages.

"This is one of his favorites," she said to Motoko.

Motoko was putting ice out of the freezer in the washcloth. "I'm just replacing the ice that melted" she said back.

"Will the herbs help?" She asked.

Motoko jumped because one of her little white lies had just come back to haunt her. She calmly turned, and said rubbing her head "I forgot I was all out, I will have to write Tsuruko for some more, but he will be alright with out them, they would have just helped a little bit more. You know him; he walks away from accidents that would kill any normal human being." She nervously laughed.

"Oh. If you say so, I believe in you Motoko," she said.

"If I don't come out and get breakfast, could you please bring mine and Keitaro's into his room, while I watch over him?" she said to Shinobu.

"Sure, I can do that" she replied.

"Thanks, Shinobu, you are wonderful."

She closed the freezer door and quickly made her way back to Keitaro's room. She put the iced washcloth on his forehead, and then slipped out and checked on Kitsune...

Kitsune was still sound asleep, so she closed the door,

'What am I going to do about Su' she thought. 'Na, I think Shinobu will "explain" things for everybody, so when Su slips and says I spent the night with him, everybody will just brush it off.'

Motoko may not have learned any rules on the playground when she was younger, but when one is thrown into deep water, one must learn to swim or drowned. Motoko had always been one to learn quickly from experience, and boy was she learning.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Shinobu wrapped up a plate for Kitsune for when she woke up, and placed it in the refrigerator.

She had watched Su inhale her breakfast like normal, and then proceed to attack the banana bunch by the sink. "I'm off to play with Keitaro" she said, as she bounced her way out of the kitchen.

Shinobu gasped "No!"

Su stopped and looked at Shinobu

"Why 'No'?" She asked.

"Keitaro is hurt, he hit his head really bad and has a big lump sticking out on his forehead, and Motoko is watching over him like she did last night"

"Oh!" said Su. "A bump you say? I know just the invention." She then raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Shinobu gulped 'The last bump remover Su made looked an awful lot like a big hammer... I hope she doesn't upgrade a hammer even "better" than she did last time' she thought.

Shinobu prepared two tray meals for Keitaro and Motoko, and took them down the hall. The door to Keitaro's room was closed, and she called out "Motoko?"

"Coming" said Motoko from inside the room.

Motoko opened the door and let Shinobu in to the room and stepped out of her way. Shinobu placed both trays beside his futon. "How is he doing?" she asked.

Motoko responded "much better compared to last night," as she picked up her tray and began eating. She was going to need her strength today. After a few minutes she had finished and was still a bit hungry, "should I eat some of Keitaro's ... I don't think he is going to wake up until later."

Shinobu said "I guess so, I will help. I guess..." They both finished off Keitaro's tray. They waited in silence there together for a few minutes watching over Keitaro.

Shinobu then asked "do you want me to take over for just a bit so you can get some rest? It must have been hard staying up all night with Keitaro"

Motoko unable to lie very much more to Shinobu said "I actually napped lightly last night while watching over him, but I appreciate the offer, maybe it will be good to get out for a bit."

Motoko finished off her meal, and Shinobu took the tray "I'll be right back when I am done with the dishes."

"O.K." Motoko responded.

After a few minutes Shinobu returned and they traded places, 'I had wanted to go out and do some practice anyway,' she was trying to convince herself. She also did it so that Shinobu wouldn't get very suspicious.

* * *

She grabbed her bokken from the laundry room, and found her laundry half out of the washer. A bit puzzled, but brushing it off, she began pulling the rest of them out. She finished removing the rest of the clothes, and put them in the Dryer, making sure to pull out her delicates. Kanako had made it very clear, that she was not to dry lace in the dryer. She hid them under her shirt, and pushed start on the dryer.

She didn't really notice that she had a few of Keitaro's clothes in with hers, because she had his shirt and shorts for quite some time now. Besides she also on occasion had snuck a few of his clothes in with her load. So washing Keitaro's clothes with hers didn't really didn't have the same affect that it had on someone else this morning.

She then went up to her room, and hung her lace undergarments on clothes pins in her room like Kanako had shown her when she explained how to take care of lace. She would have used the line outside, but she was much too embarrassed to show anyone else her lacy things, it was bad enough Kanako and Kitsune knew.

She then put on her more traditional work out uniform, but this time she thought better about wearing her new lacy undergarments. It's too bad Kanako and Mitsune confiscated her chest bindings. She shrugged, at least he won't be around for a little while, and I suppose I can do without a bra for today.

She went up to the roof, and worked up quite a sweat practicing her techniques. After about two hours, she was quite exhausted. One thing she definitely had decided is that she would ask Mitsune, to go to the store, to help her get a sports bra since they wouldn't let her have her chest bindings back and the lacy ones were cutting into her shoulders.

She went down and grabbed another couple of towels and she looked around for her robe, when she remembered where it was she blushed. Deciding on an alternative course of action she went back upstairs and grabbed the clothes she was wearing earlier. It was so she could change down to the changing room today.

She made sure to bathe fast today, so she could get back to Keitaro and Shinobu as soon as she could. She then changed back into what she was wearing earlier.

She went back to Keitaro's room, and saw Shinobu humming what sounded like _"Scarborough fair" _with her eyes closed. She entered quietly and sat down next to Shinobu.

The humming stopped abruptly "oh you startled me, how long have you been there" Shinobu asked Motoko.

"Not long, I didn't want to disturb you from taking good care of Keitaro. I can take him for a while if you need to do some chores and get groceries. I am sure when he wakes up he may want some of your fine cooking. Maybe if we even did some of his chores today, it would be good to let him rest." Motoko suddenly felt bad for manipulating Shinobu like this, she didn't know why she was doing it either, and she just knew that she didn't really want Shinobu there while she was with Keitaro.

A smile appeared on Shinobu's face, "O.K. that sounds like a great idea" she said.

She got up and left Motoko there alone with Keitaro. A selfish thought came over Motoko 'that was just too easy.' A few moments later, part of Motoko suddenly felt really guilty for tricking Shinobu like that.

A half hour later soft humming could be heard coming from Keitaro's room.

* * *

Haruka opened the door to her shop and went inside the back to see if there was a fax or a message from granny Hina.

She rounded the corner of the counter, and saw a couple of pages on the floor. "The fax must have gone off last night" she said to herself as she gathered them up.

There was a coversheet from granny Hina from "Le Eiffel Tower cyber café" Haruka was amazed, 'Boy she really gets around,' she thought.

She looked at the second page of the fax. It was a simple hand written note that said "Just check on Keitaro and take no action till I talk to you. Call my number precisely 10:00 P.M. your time." Below the note was a crude pretty dark picture, but it looked like Kanako and Granny Hina standing below the Arc De Triumph.

Haruka sighed "it may turn out to be a long day."

She walked up the stairs to the Inn. She went in the entrance of the inn, and saw nothing out of the oridinary. She then called out "where is everyone?"

"Out here!" cried a small voice from the outdoor baths. She stepped outside, and saw Shinobu scrubbing down the rocks with the scrubbing broom that Keitaro always used.

"Good morning Haruka-san" Shinobu said, and then happily returned to scrubbing.

"Good morning to you too Shinobu, how come you are doing the job that Keitaro usually does?" Haruka probed. She new something was up, but she didn't want to sound too suspicious.

"Well... I thought this would help sempai out, so when he wakes up he won't have to worry about cleaning." She said happily. 'I may even get a kiss for helping him out' she thought, and then quickly turned and focused on her scrubbing so that Haruka wouldn't see her blush.

"What do you mean when he wakes up, he is sleeping in today?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, you haven't heard yet. Umm..." Shinobu turned back to face her eyes already beginning to fill with tears.

"Umm.... Well you see, Sempai got hurt pretty badly, he hit his head on that rock over there." She pointed. "Motoko found him and she has been taking care of him since then. She even stayed with him all night long. She said she is sure he will recover very soon" she said as she tried to smile. She then returned to her work with a new found vigor.

Haruka then looked towards the rock that Shinobu had been pointing too. The cigarette that had been hanging in her mouth fell down on the wet stonework and went out with an angry hiss. A boulder that about as wide as Su was tall, was standing wide open was split in two almost identical halves.

Haruka picked up her soggy cigarette and carried it back to the changing room and threw it in the trash. She was still in a bit of a shock over seeing a rock that big easily split in half by Keitaro's head. She went to the manager's room, and opened the door. Motoko jumped up into a sitting position, although she thought it almost looked like she had been examining Keitaro's face very closely. It also looked like Motoko was breaking out in quite a deep blush.

Haruka cleared her throat. "What did Naru do this time? I heard from Shinobu that he had quite a collision with a rather large rock"

Motoko shifted nervously. "I don't really know what happened, except, that last night, while I was in the bath, I heard Keitaro scream, and saw him hit that large rock." She then nervously added "Well, I couldn't just leave him outside in the cold, and so brought him in here kind of took care of him last night and a bit today."

Haruka came over and removed the dampened wash cloth that was covering his forehead. It looked like someone had glued half of golf ball on his front temple. "Normally I would call a doctor, but knowing Mr. Indestructible here, he should be up and about in no time causing problems." She paused and then asked "Is he getting any better?" as she replaced the wash cloth over his angry bump.

"Better... Yes, better than he was yesterday evening anyway. The swelling went down a bit, and he did move in his sleep last night" She nervously added, and then looked away trying to hide the blush that was invading her face.

Haruka noticed that Motoko was trying to hide something, but didn't really push the issue.

Haruka only said "He probably pushed one too many of Naru's buttons. She has been kind of really aggressive as of late. Do you know what set her off?"

Motoko having gotten control of her blush turned and said, "No, only that she is really angry, at everyone it seems."

Kitsune suddenly appeared at the entry way. "You can say that again, she really needs to blow off some steam. Could you guys keep it down... my head is killing me, and why is it so Bright out here? If you ask me, I think she just really needs some time and a LOT of space. Now if you don't mind, I don't feel so well." Motoko and Haruka watched her head towards the kitchen, 'probably for pain killers' both of them thought at the same time.

"Well I guess I will leave him to you then, if he wakes up any time soon, I have something I want to ask him." She got up and went to the door. She then turned around and said "One more question... besides splitting a boulder with his head, did anything else happen, kind of out of the ordinary?"

Motoko furiously thought, 'Does she know something? No, she can't... can she? She is pretty perceptive...' her mouth suddenly found it self saying "No, nothing really, not a thing." 'What if she suspects something?' Her heart was thumping really hard, and her palms began to sweat.

"O.K." she said.

Haruka had started out of his door, and was just about out of site when a thought crossed Motoko's mind. "Well... I did see something but I think it was my imagination. I thought I saw him glowing, but that's impossible, Naru couldn't have hit him hard," she laughed nervously.

Haruka paused and then said "you're probably right." She then disappeared down the hall.

Motoko got up, went to the door, and closed it. "It probably was my imagination" but because Haruka had brought it up, she was beginning to wonder.

* * *

Haruka thought about going up to see Naru, and thought better against it, besides the tea house couldn't run itself. She lit herself a new cigarette once she got outside, and she then prodded down the stairs.

When she arrived at the tea house she proceeded to go through her morning ritual, and get everything ready. She checked the water that was piped directly from a boiling hot thermal spring deep below ground. It was running fine, as always. It had been there for a few hundred of years. No one quite knew when the rumor started, but people started believing in the healing properties of the tea. It is what helped her keep her laid back way of life. Not that business was all that great but it was enough. She brewed a few of the more popular tea's like Green and English tea. Not forgetting to make a pot of coffee for some of her regulars; however the most regular customer for coffee was really herself.

'She had said.. "I thought I saw him glowing", what does it mean?' she was thinking. She didn't know but she certainly knew who to ask. She looked at the clock and thought 'It will be a while till can ask. Ten P.M. is a long time from now.'


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

Naru walked for hours, that small voice haunted her non stop. _"Please, don't. ... No, stop talking, and just hold me..." _She had cried many times, and gotten angry many times a few times she even started yelling at pedestrians "THAT PERVERT!" and storming off. She had caused a few commotions in a few places as innocent male bystanders would get whacked with a few purses. Naru would just keep walking.

'What is going on' she thought. 'This morning, I finally felt like I had got it all out of my system, but then I find Motoko's trashy lingerie along with Keitaro's boxers, what am I supposed to think? I wanted to go catch that pervert sneaking into Motoko's room. Except he wasn't there, neither was she.'

She turned left, her mind really didn't know where she was going, and she just kept walking. She recalled the scene she saw this morning when she peeked into the room. There was Keitaro and Motoko in his futon, holding each other. She even saw Keitaro's and Motoko's bare shoulders peeking out from the covers. 'Its one thing to sneak up to her room, and do perverted things to her, its another to seduce her into your room, and an entirely new thing to get her to take all her clothes off!'

"_Please, don't. ... No, stop talking, and just hold me..." _

She started crying again. 'But he's my pervert!' she said to herself. 'Are they all taking him away from me, or does he want to get away from me? Doesn't he love me any more?'

She turned right down another street. "That Stupid JERK" she said out loud.

A little girl and her mother happened to be walking by, and the little girl was tugging at her mothers shirt "mommy mommy look at the crazy lady" she said.

The lady said "shush... you might make her come talk to us" and she grabbed her daughters hand and quickly led her away.

Naru hadn't even noticed, she was so busy lost in thought that she didn't even know if it was day or night.

As the afternoon turned into evening her feet began to burn from all the foot traffic. She stopped and found herself at Tokyo U's gate by the clock tower.

Once again, she burst into tears. 'We were supposed to come here together.'

She looked around for a place she could be alone, and found a secluded shaded grassy corner by the stone wall... It had a small flower bed on one side, and a cherry tree on the other. She sat down on the grass to wait for the waterworks to stop. Her sobbing soon quieted down into the peaceful rhythm of sleep.

* * *

Shinobu had worked hard all day, she and Motoko had switched spots a few times, but for the most part Motoko watched over Keitaro. For dinner she cooked something Keitaro would like, and after she ate, she dropped a tray off outside Naru's door, and then took two trays in for Motoko and Keitaro. Once again, she and Motoko had finished that one off as well.

"Motoko?..." Shinobu asked.

"Yes?"

"Is sempai going to wake up soon?"

"He should any time soon. The lump on his forehead has gone down quite a bit. You can hardly tell he has one from certain angles."

"That is good, I am glad." Shinobu was soon lost in thought recalling several of the crazy events earlier in the day.

* * *

_Kitsune had spent most of the day in her room, trying to drink away her hangover, and her worries. Shinobu was worried about her, and she had asked "Are you ok Kitsune?" Kitsune reassured her that she was O.K., she just needed some time to think. _

_Around the after noon Su had brought by a crazy looking device with missiles mounted on it, and said she was ready to remove Keitaro's bump. With Motoko's help she was able to convince Su that that might not be enough, his bump was pretty big. With that Su ran off to make some more improvements. _

_Shinobu and Motoko had also finished all of the chores earlier in the day. Motoko had even done all the laundry, and carried up what was hers to her room. It had been kind of a fun day. _

* * *

"I'm ready" said a voice at the door, Motoko and Shinobu looked up to the voice. At the door was a large meter tall fuzzy banana, with a pair of tan feet standing behind it.

"You are ready for what Su?" Motoko asked trying to play innocent, 'I know darn well why she is here,' she thought.

"For bed of course, Silly!" Su said.

Shinobu looked at Motoko, and back at Su, and then down at Keitaro. She then thought, Motoko will take better care of him than I can, so I guess I will have to go,' a frown appeared on Shinobu's face.

Motoko saw Shinobu begin to get up, but she had a frown on her face. She felt a little guilty so she said "Thank you Shinobu, you have been a great help today, I am sure Keitaro will appreciate all we did for him."

A smile appeared on Shinobu's face, and she said to Motoko "Please take care of sempai tonight, I am sure with your help he will wake up soon." With that, she grabbed Su's hand and pulled a giant banana with tan feet off to her room.

Shinobu and Su laid out her futon, and Su jumped right in under the covers. Shinobu paused long enough to clasp her hands together, and say "please let sempai get better soon" and climbed into bed too.

About an hour later, Shinobu was dreaming about her and Keitaro, and blushing quite red with Su clutching her around her middle.

* * *

"_Are you sure Shinobu? It will be kind of rough for your first time; it may even hurt a little."_

"_I am sure Sempai, I am not afraid." Shinobu cried._

"_ok here goes" _

"_Is it too rough? Does it hurt?"_

"_No sempai, it doesn't. You are pretty strong sempai!"_

"_Well I am going to do something to you now, and I want you to be brave." _

"_I'll be brave" she said._

_He then let go of her hands that he had been holding and gave her a big tight hug, and he held her in his arms while they watched the sunset. "I'm Glad that my rough hands didn't hurt your soft delicate hands. Mine aren't exactly soft from all the hard work I do around here. I just want you to know Shinobu, you are very important to me."_

* * *

Motoko soon found her self alone after Shinobu left with Kaolla. After about an hour she went over and grabbed an extra blanket for her self, and wrapped the blanket around her. She sat down on the floor next to him all wrapped up in his blanket. A few minutes later she was beginning to dose off, and she woke with a start.

'Woah, I almost fell asleep.' She looked at Keitaro and then reasoned, 'I can't leave him, what if he wakes up.' She then thought 'or someone takes my spot by his side.' Her face got all flush again, 'Aack, why am I thinking that ... well its not that I don't care if someone else takes my spot, but I am the one with the most medical skills out of anyone,' she said, trying to justify her thoughts.

'It is late, I could just lie here beside him, I will wake up if anything happened' she thought. She laid down beside him and turned a few times to try to get into a comfortable position, and found that her clothes were soon tightening around her as she wrestled with the blanket. 'I guess can't really sleep in my clothes. They are pretty uncomfortable.' She thought about sneaking upstairs and putting on some of her own night clothes, but decided against leaving. 'I guess Keitaro won't mind if I borrow another one of his shirts to sleep in.'

Walking over to Keitaro's closet she pulled out a large white button up shirt for herself. For a few seconds she thought about modesty. 'I guess it will be ok, I can change here. Besides if he wakes up and sees me.......' Her thoughts were running wild again, and she desperately fought them away as the blush crept across her face.

She changed out of her shirt, then unbuttoned and took off her cargo pants. She folded her clothes into a neat pile the foot of his futon. As an after thought Motoko removed the lacy bra that she had been wearing. She then placed her bra on the pile. She put on Keitaro's shirt and buttoned up the front.

Motoko lay down on the blanket next to his bed. Her eyes were once again watching over him, but this time from a much different perspective than before. Her eyes then wandered over to his dresser. She soon found her self, out from under the blanket, and standing in front of his dresser holding a pair of his boxers. 'I wonder if these are much more comfortable than what I am wearing.' She thought and then blushed so much that her face felt like it had been sun burned.

She once again reclaimed her position, wrapped up in his extra blanket, near his bed side, and a lacy blue panty was added to the top of her clothes pile. Soon the steady rhythm of his breathing matched hers.

* * *

10:00 is what it said on the digital clock in the tea house's office. She picked up the phone and dialed granny Hina's number.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"Granny, it's me Haruka." She paused, "this isn't another stupid answering machine trick is it?"

"No Haruka, its not another stupid answering machine trick, it's me" said granny Hina.

"Well I did what you told me, and I checked on Keitaro, Naru had punched him and launched him off the second floor down onto a large rock in the hot springs. He hit it with such force he split the rock in half!"

"Oh my!" said granny, "Go on!"

"Anyway Motoko saw the whole thing, she has been taking care of him since he hit his head. She says she thought she saw him glowing before he hit the rock. I am a little worried about him granny, do you think he is ready?"

"HAHA, I fooled you again Haruka, yes, this is the answering machine so make it quick BEEP "

The veins started to pop out in Haruka's forehead, but she took a deep breath getting ready to speak into the answering machine, "Keitaro hit his.."

Haruka was cut off by granny Hina again, "silly girl, I got you again, this time it's for real, I hope Keitaro is ok, please let me know what is going on." BEEP

Haruka put her hand on her forehead, and proceeded to retell everything. As a final note, she said "That wasn't very funny granny Hina" and set down the receiver.

"I really hope he is ready." Haruka said, and then locked up the tea shop and went to her apartment, and went after getting into bed, and lying awake for a few hours, she fell into fitful slumber thinking about powerful demons crushing the city.

* * *

Naru woke up from the cold night air. The heat that was absorbed by the large stone wall of Tokyo U was cooling off, it had been keeping her warm in her slumber. She went to put on her shoes, and found her feet were swollen and had a couple of blisters on them.

'How long was I walking,' she thought. She checked her watch, 11:59 the last train that would have got her home would have stopped an hour ago. She picked up her shoes and picked her way out the gate of the college campus. She spotted a phone booth down on the corner. After a few painfully slow steps she made it to the phone booth, and she picked up the receiver to call for a cab.

* * *

Motoko was sitting in a very familiar environment, she looked around, someone had built a fire and its call beckoned her. She approached the fire carefully calling out to make sure its owner wasn't going to chase her away. Sitting by the fire, she felt so alive, so warm. She deiced to take off her winter coat, it had been wet from all the snow, and it was making her cold unlike the warm happy fire. So she undid the buttons on the front of her coat. For some reason they were all backwards from normal. She took off her coat, and sat near the warm fire, and let its happy dance warm her body as well as her soul. Her eyes closed as she let the heat envelope her body.

A large bird hidden beyond the light of the fire closed its two eyes in happy unison with the person sitting at the fire.

* * *

The taxi pulled up, and Naru paid the driver. She then climbed the steps painfully slow. When she finally reached top she quietly opened the door, and entered. After quietly closing the door behind her she set her shoes down on the ground, and put on her pair of comfy house slippers. Her feet felt instantly relieved to finally be standing on something soft.

She made her way to Keitaro's room just so she could peak in and satisfy her curiosity. Her eyes went wide open with horror and her jaw went slack, as she was crushed with what she saw. Motoko's clothes lay in a neat pile with a bra and panty on top. Snuggled up next to Keitaro was Motoko. His arms were holding her, and she was holding him. She could clearly see that Motoko wasn't wearing anything, because the blankets they were under only covering them up to their ribs. He had something covering his shoulders, but his chest was entirely exposed. Suddenly Motoko shivered and then pulled the cover up past her shoulder.

Naru closed the door, and then went up the stairs. She found a tray outside her door, and pulled it inside her room with her. She didn't feel like eating, but her stomach defiantly was. She swallowed the tasteless cold food, and then climbed into her futon. She would have cried herself to sleep, but her eyes had no more tears to shed that day.

* * *

The eyes opened and looked around, someone was approaching.

Motoko suddenly looked out beyond the fire. She could sense the presence of someone out in the snow, but she couldn't see who it was. A gentile breeze started to stir the snow softly, and she gathered her blanket up over her shoulders. Waiting for the presence to show itself, Motoko's hands found her weapon and she was now ready to guard the fire. After a few moments, the presence left and the soft breeze died down. No longer feeling the presence she sat down, and she once again enjoyed the embrace of the fires warmth.

The eyes that were watching didn't close peacefully this time. They were watching something in the distance with great curiosity. They finally seemed satisfied, and settled down to watch over a Samurai by a fire.

* * *

Haruka woke in the middle of the night, it had been a rough night, and she had been tossing and turning all night in a fitful sleep. She looked at her alarm clock. It said 3:14.

'I guess it's because I am worried about Keitaro. I don't think he is ready. They may try to push something on him without him being ready.' She thought.

She slipped on her robe, and padded up to the Inn. She quietly slid the door open, and went inside. She went to Keitaro's room and slowly slid the door open, and looked inside. 'Well well' her brain thought. This is a bit unexpected. There lay Motoko's and Keitaro's head poking out from under the covers. She then noticed the neat pile of clothes that Motoko had been wearing, and then her eyes opened wide to see a pair of panties and a bra on the pile. 'I can't say that I approve, but he may need someone to care for him instead of launching him out of windows. Those three old men may try something, and if he doesn't have support of a few of the girls here, he may not survive'

She closed the door, and went out of the inn, making sure to close the door behind her. She padded down to her apartment, and went inside and climbed into bed. As she fell asleep a smile appeared on her face, 'She probably doesn't even know else you can do with a naked man besides cuddling' she thought 'if she did, she probably is too embarrassed to try it.' Her rest was much more relaxed and she didn't have any more fits in her sleep.

* * *

The eyes of a great bird watched this latest curiosity come by the Samurai and her fire.

Motoko looked up, sensing a presence again out in the snow. This time however she girl was not at all worried about the presence. She once again returned to watching the fire intently.

The eyes looked carefully down at the samurai girl and her fire, and then they looked at the curios presence. It soon left without leaving a trace.

It then closed its eyes, and waited. It wouldn't be much longer before it would need its full strength.

* * *

Motoko felt like she belonged. It was the first time since leaving home she felt like whatever happened it would be ok. 'Its like when mother held me when I was little,' she thought. She smiled as opened her eyes. Keitaro's face was so close to hers, and he looked so calm and peaceful. She looked at the bump on his forehead, it was nearly gone. 'I'm glad it is nearly healed' she thought. She then felt the gentle embrace of Keitaro's arms. Her heart started to race, as she was quite surprised at her predicament. 'AAck! How come I am naked again' and then she sighed with relief when she realized she wasn't entirely naked. 'I'm am still wearing his boxers.' What she didn't understand is how come she wasn't wearing her night shirt. 'How did I get here?' she wondered. She noted that he was still wearing her robe, but it was open and she was inside it with him!

His arms suddenly gave her a little squeeze, and suddenly all her worries she vanished like they never existed. He felt so warm, and his bare skin felt so good against her bare skin, that she no longer cared. She snuggled a little closer, and let his warmth wash over her.

Her breathing once again matched his, as they lay there in each others arms.

* * *

Naru finished packing her bags, she knew that she needed to get a way for a few days or she might end up killing some tall raven haired samurai. 'I deserve someone better than a cheating lying pervert named Keitaro Urashima.' She thought.

Her eyes once again filled with tears, and she collapsed down on her knees. 'Why. Doesn't he love me anymore?' she cried.

After a few minutes after much effort she was able to control her emotions again, except for the sniffle here, and sob there. She finished packing and closed the suitcase. She put on her straw hat, and carried her bags down the stairs. She set it outside the door, and went to the phone and dialed the number for a taxi.

"....... Where do you need picked up miss?"

"The Hinata tea house, I will be waiting out side."

"O.K. we will send a driver right over."

She went out picked up her bags, and walked to the top of the stairs.

She stopped, and then set down her bags. With quiet resolve she went back to the Inn, and opened the door to Keitaro's room. She knew quite well what to expect, as she went over and stood over Keitaro and Motoko.

She waited for a few seconds, and then cleared her throat. Motoko opened her eyes, and then was startled by Naru standing over her and Keitaro. She went to move and sit up, but Keitaro's arms were holding her stead fast. The blanket slid down just a little in her struggling and exposed her naked breasts to Naru. She ceased her struggling but in her attempt at modesty she just pressed her breasts against Keitaro's naked chest.

"umm..." began Motoko

"Save your excuses tramp, you don't have to explain anything to me. I am leaving for a few weeks, and if you or this lying cheating perverted bastard even gets within ten meters of me, you will regret it. That goes for anyone else too."

With that she turned, and walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. She went out into the foyer and closed the front door behind her. She swooped up her bags and proceeded to calmly go down the stairs. She saw Haruka standing in her tea shop's apartment window, and instead of acknowledging her presence continued on the long trek down the stairs to the bottom.

The taxi pulled up just as she placed her foot on the last step. The driver seeing his passenger had a bag pulled the handle next to his door to open the trunk. Naru placed her bags in the trunk, and climbed in the back seat of the taxi, and closed the door.

"The Tokyo Train Station please" was all she said.

* * *

Motoko heard her then close the front door as she left.

Motoko felt ashamed, more ashamed than she ever felt in her entire life. 'What have I done?' she said. Her eyes felt damp and she started to cry. She lay in Keitaro's arms getting his cheeks wet with her tears. He suddenly shifted her a bit closer and held her in a tighter embrace than they had before. Her tears stopped flowing but she couldn't stop the occasional gasp of air as she sobbed.

It seemed like an eternity, but she had finally calmed down. Keitaro had loosened his grasp of her when she had stopped sobbing. She carefully wriggled around till she could free her self from his arms. She then closed the robe she had dressed him in yesterday, and then covered him up with the blanket.

She noticed that it was rather chilly in the room, and she found the night shirt that she wore last night, and slipped it around her. She then gathered her clothes and ran up the stairs to her room. She changed out of Keitaro's shirt and boxers and opened her underwear drawer. She didn't really care at this point what she was wearing, and just grabbed what was on top. She put on one of her old cotton panties, and a bra Kanako's had given her.

She then put on a pair of Black shorts and a dark navy tank top. She threw Keitaro's clothes that she had borrowed into her closet and went down stairs to get back with Keitaro.

She quickly checked the room to make sure nothing was out of place, and then gathered up the extra blanket, and folded it a couple of times, and set it on the floor next to Keitaro. She sat on the blanket and waited. She knew Shinobu would be in to check on her soon. She noticed that it was still chilly from the morning air in Keitaro's room, and so she opened up the blanket she was sitting on and wrapped it around her as she sat there.

Quickly scanning the room for any damning evidence she thought 'Why am I acting like this? What have I done?'

* * *

Haruka had just gotten up from her rest, her dreams this night did not consist of demons and fires burning cities like it was the previous night. Her dreams consisted of things like going to the beach and watching the sunset. She didn't know quite what to think after last night, but with Motoko watching over him she felt like it would be ok. 'She could probably protect him better than I can, if those old meddlers did anything to him this time.'

She opened the window to see what kind of day today would be like, and she spied Naru walking down the steps with her large bag in tow. She waved to Naru to wait, but Naru didn't see her. She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her, and she slipped into her shoes. She quickly unlocked her front door and went out. She ran down the stairs just in time to see the taxi drive away.

'You don't think she saw them too?' she thought. She was a bit worried, and would ask Motoko about it later.

Haruka climbed the steps back to her apartment, and went in side to start the day. She got showered, dressed, and rubbed her hair dry with a towel. She then brushed her hair the way she liked it. Haruka then put on some clothes, and then went out to go open up the tea house.

Inside the tea house was another fax lying on the floor below the fax machine. She picked up the fax and the cover sheet. The cover sheet was from a French sounding name "Café Le Deux Moulins" below there was a drawing of two windmills on a hill.

She put the coversheet behind the second page, and looked at the note which Granny Hina had sent.

"Haruka, I wouldn't worry too much if Motoko is watching him. She is from their family and if anything should happen, she would be able to counter it like her ancestors did. In the mean time I am sending Kanako, she should be arriving in a few days depending on what we can arrange for her flight. –Hina"

Below the note was another picture darkened by the fax machine, but it looked like Kanako outside the Louvre.

She hurried and got her customers favorite tea's out, and once again checked the water to make sure it was flowing properly. She checked them because there were times in the Tea house's history that the pipes had become blocked by mineral deposits, and needed to be fixed. They were flowing fine. She quickly prepared today's fresh tea assortments and coffee. A few of her regular morning customers showed up and she served them their usual. After about two hours her regular customers had finished their tea and had all gone home. She looked around to make sure she wasn't needed by anyone she got her sign out from behind the desk, and set it on top. It read "went up to the Inn, please wait, I will be right back". She filled her own mug with Coffee, and began walking up the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

Shinobu was cooking breakfast. 'I am glad sempai's bump is almost gone, you can barely even see it!' she thought. She was glad that Motoko had been taking such good care of him. She was cooking up one of his favorite breakfasts again just in case he woke up this morning.

Su did her usual magic trick this morning, like she did every other day, by somehow making full plates turn instantly clean, and bananas disappear into thin air. 'How she can eat that much and stay so skinny, it must be where she gets all her energy.' Shinobu thought.

Kitsune even came to breakfast this morning. She didn't have much to say, but ate her meal quietly and then asked if she could take a tray up to Naru. Shinobu helped her make a tray and poured a big glass of orange juice for her.

She hurried and did the dishes, and then fixed up a tray for Motoko and Keitaro. She took them to Keitaro's room and entered. She handed the tray to Motoko, and she began to eat hers very slowly. Neither one of them dared to touch his food this morning, because they were both expecting him to wake up any time now.

After a few minutes Motoko said "Excuse me Shinobu, but would you continue to watch over Keitaro for me, He won't need my help after today, so I am going to leave him in your excellent care till he wakes up. If you need me, I will be in my room, try not to let any one disturb me unless it's really important."

With this Shinobu smiled, and said "I shall do my best!" and then proceeded to turn three shades of red.

Motoko got up and walked out of the room.

Shinobu's gaze fell upon Keitaro's face and she felt so happy she started humming.

* * *

Kitsune took the tray up to Naru's room, and knocked on the door.

"Naru, it's me... look I am sorry for whatever I did to upset you, and if you want to talk, please open the door."

Silence answered her. About a minute later, she then said "O.K. when your ready to talk to me, you know where to find me. Shinobu prepared a breakfast for you; your tray is going to be outside the door. Just remember, I care about you, because were friends, please come talk to me when your ready."

Kitsune placed the tray down on the floor, and walked away. When she got to the top of the stairs she looked back down the hall to see if Naru would get the tray. After a moment, she started walking down the stairs, feeling a little dejected.

* * *

Motoko walked up the stairs, and turned the corner. She began walking down the hall, and she saw a tray outside Naru's door. She felt guilty for what had happened, so she bent down and picked up the tray to take it to her room. She was afraid that if anyone saw the tray still there, they might open the door and find that Naru had gone. More than finding out Naru was gone, she was afraid that they would start asking questions, and that they would some how find out about her shame.

She opened the door to her room and went inside. She set the tray down on her desk, and then collapsed on her floor. The tears started running down her face, and they wouldn't stop flowing, and she was so afraid of what was going to happen to her. She was shaking again from all the crying and she wrapped her arms around her legs, and put her head on her knees. 'What have I done' she cried to her self.

The only sounds of the room were the soft quiet gasps for air of a girl softly crying.

* * *

Haruka crested the stairs to the inn. 'One thing for sure about these steps, they sure keep me in a size three"

She opened the front door, and kicked her shoes off and slipped into her house slippers. She went to Keitaro's room and knocked first.

A small voice from inside the room cried out "Yes? Come in"

She slid the door open, and entered the room. She looked around the room. The only occupants were a comatose Keitaro and Shinobu. She came and stood over by Shinobu and Keitaro "Where's Motoko?" she asked.

"She left me in charge, she said that sempai would wake up real soon." She then thought to herself 'When he wakes up I will be the first person he will see, he will be so proud of me taking care of him.' She then started to blush just a little. "She said she would be in her room, and that she didn't want to be disturbed unless it was important."

Haruka said, "Alright, if he wakes up come and get me, I want to ask him something. I also need to go ask Motoko something."

With that, Haruka turned around and exited Keitaro's room. She then went up the stairs to Motoko's room and knocked on the door. "Motoko... It's me, Haruka."

There was no answer so she opened the door. She saw Motoko sitting curled up in a ball by her desk. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, and it was painfully evident she was crying. Haruka closed the door behind her.

Haruka's motherly instincts took over, and she approached Motoko and put her arms around her and just embraced her.

The dam burst and Motoko started crying out loud with great wracking sobs. Haruka just held her and waited.

Minutes passed, and the river of tears slowed to a small trickle, and the sobbing slowed to an occasional shiver. Haruka then said "Want to talk about it?"

Motoko only shook her head in a "No".

"I think we should talk about it. You don't have to be afraid of me judging you either."

Motoko once again shook her head in a "No".

"Ok well if you feel you need someone to talk to. Don't be afraid to come see me. Just know I think that you have been a great help to him. He needed someone to help him, and I am grateful it was you that did help him."

"How can I have helped him, when all I did is hurt him," a quiet voice said.

"Oh I don't believe you hurt him, you have been a great help these last couple of days." Haruka said.

"No, I couldn't have helped, I.... I..." and she started to cry again.

"Motoko, Shhhh.... Shhhh... It's ok you don't have to explain anything to me if you don't want to." With that she gave Motoko a very tight squeeze, and just held her.

"I saw Naru leaving this morning. Give her time; she needs to be away from everything here for a while. It will be good for her to get away, you will see."

Motoko just cried a few more minutes, while Haruka held her.

Haruka stood up, and lifted Motoko with her. "Come, with me" she said, and took Motoko arm and wouldn't let go. They went out the door of Motoko's room and down the stairs in to the changing room outside the hot springs. "Hurry, go and take a bath, it will help you calm your nerves. I'll get you a change of clothes from your room, because the ones you're wearing are all covered with tears." She turned to leave, and paused and said, "Look I need you to be strong right now, don't worry about Naru, she has her own demons to deal with."

Motoko found herself slowly complying without questioning, and Haruka went up to Motoko's room and flipped through her clothes. She found a couple of Keitaro's boxers and shirts in her closet, and smiled in spite of herself.

After flipping through all of her clothes, she shook her head. 'Motoko really needs some new clothes,' she thought. She then opened her drawers to at least get Motoko some underwear. 'Well maybe this girl has a bit of style,' and she picked out a little turquoise number from what looked like a very new addition to Motoko's underwear drawer. "I guess I am just going to have to loan her something to wear" she said aloud.

She took them down stairs, and entered the changing room. Haruka then placed Motoko's underwear in the cupboard where Motoko had put the rest of her clothes. She removed the clothes that were there and placed them in her basket in the laundry room. Haruka then slipped on her shoes and made her way down to her apartment to raid something from her own closet. From it, she pulled out a light pastel green summer dress with little turquoise flowers on it. She then made her way up to the inn with the dress and sandals. She placed the sandals in her cupboard with the underwear that she had just picked out, and hung the dress on the peg beside it.

Haruka waited for a few min, and then called out "I'll be down watching the tea house, take your time and let the hot springs wash your worries away. Remember you can always come see me if you want to talk."

Haruka descended the stairs down to the tea house and thought 'Motoko I wanted to tell you so much more, but until I confirm a few things, it may be best if you didn't find out anything.'

* * *

Motoko sat in the bath. "Why is Haruka being so nice? She talked like she already knows what happened. She is pretty cunning, she probably does know. I just don't understand if she knows, why then?"

"What's the matter with me, why do I keep doing that?" she said. "Why do I keep waking up in Keitaro's arms? Especially how come I always finding myself waking up naked!" she added.

"The only time he even moved in last two days is to put his arms around me while we slept. Maybe we do share something special.... " Motoko softly said and she blushed.

"I only wish Naru hadn't found me like that, the look on her face before she left this morning ...." She began to cry again.

She spent several minutes soaking, and relaxing, and mostly calming down. After about twenty minutes she was feeling better, the hot springs had worked its magic, and Motoko decided it was time to get out. She climbed out of the bath, and dried herself with a towel, and then wrapped it around her. She then walked out of the bath area and into the changing room.

A fox eyed figure stood up out of the far side of the bath. The expression on her face was hard to decode, because it was a mix of shock, disbelief, joy, but mostly mischief and relief. However, one could easily say that the fox was always full of mischief, even when being serious.

Kitsune waited long after she knew it was safe, before exiting the bath. 'It's not like I intentionally over heard her...' she thought, 'I just wanted to be alone, that's why I hid myself.' She reflected at how she had been crying this morning, and needed to wash away her tears. She quickly made her way back to her room and shut the door. The pain that she received from Naru's slap may have physically disappeared but the emotional impact still remained. 'In all our years of friendship, that's the first time she ever hit me, or a girl for that matter. Sure she was always punching guys for pinching her or other weird things, but I never expected her to ever hit me.'

'Now I see. I am glad that I am not the only one that Naru is upset with.' She was thinking of hearing about how Motoko let slip that she had been caught by Naru doing something with Keitaro. 'I wonder what she was doing, since he couldn't have been doing much in his comatose state.'

Kitsune's second nature suddenly kicked in, and she thought, 'I wonder how much money Motoko has saved up....'

Little quiet maniacal giggles could be heard softly outside the door to Kitsune's room. Had any of the other Hinata apartment residences been near by, they would have instinctively checked their wallets to see how much cash they may potentially be loosing in the near future.

* * *

It was dark, and lonely, a voice cried out "hello? Anybody here, please don't leave me alone." About two times now, a sweet light had been leading the owner of the voice out of the darkness. It had been easy to make a path through the darkness following the light, but it would go away for a while, and it would cause the owner of the voice to stumble and fall.

"Hello? Naru? Anybody?" the voice cried again.

The path he had been following was becoming less rocky, and there was a bit of light coming from somewhere, although he couldn't place the light, he could faintly make out his path.

After several hours, he could see the exit to the darkness he was in. It looked like the entrance to a cave.

He made his way to the exit. It was very bright outside and he had to squint his eyes shut just to see where he was going. He tripped and fell headlong out into the brightness.

There was someone humming softly, and he opened his eyes. The humming stopped.

"Sempai! ... Sempai your awake! Thank goodness."

His eyes were having trouble focusing, and put his hand to his head to check for his glasses.

"Shinobu, is that you?"

"Yes, it is me, are you feeling ok sempai?"

"I don't know..." he paused, trying to get his bearings. "Where am I, how did I get here, and where are my glasses."

"Um.. Um... you are in your room, and Motoko brought you from the bath in here. I don't know what happened to your glasses."

He suddenly remembered that he had something important to tell Naru, and the vague sensation of flying through the air. Everything else was fuzzy after that. He sat up in bed and turned to Shinobu.

"Shinobu, is Naru still mad? I need to talk to her."

Shinobu looked at him, and suddenly turned three shades of red. He looked down, he was wearing Motoko's bathrobe and the front had came open. Only his chest was completely visible to Shinobu and he closed the front of his robe just a bit. "umm ... sorry about that Shinobu, umm.... Do you know where Naru is?"

Shinobu was still blushing profusely, and said in a shaky voice. "N ... no, but I can go ch... check her room" and she then thought, 'oh my sempai is so handsome and strong looking'

She hurried and stood up and ran out of the room, afraid that he would be able to hear her heart thumping as loud as it was to her.

He gingerly reached up and felt his head. His forehead was really tender. He also noticed that he was really hungry.

He noticed a nice breakfast platter that was set out next to his bed. It looked like Shinobu had made him some toast and orange juice, and something under the round plate cover. He lifted up the cover, and underneath and still fairly warm was scrambled eggs and what looked like ham although it was hard to tell without his glasses. He munched on them and then decided that it was time to get up. He climbed out of bed, and noticed a bit of a draft. He looked down, and his eyes went wide with shock. 'Boy I am glad that I didn't jump right out of bed while Shinobu was here, Naru would have killed me,' he thought. He hurried over to his dresser and opened it, and took a pair of boxers out and put them on. 'I better do laundry soon; I only have a couple of pairs left.' He thought. He went to his closet, and pulled out some jeans and a T-shirt, and began dressing himself. He started looking around the room for his glasses, when Shinobu came back.

"Naru's not in her room, and I didn't hear her go out this morning."

"Great, now I have to find Naru and my glasses. Shinobu have you seen my glasses? I can't find them. I was using my new pair." 'My old pair got broke in a couple of weeks before that. I will need them when I go to find Naru to explain something to her', he thought.

Shinobu looked around the room, "umm I haven't seen them since Motoko brought you here the other night"

"Oh... ok..." he said, then he started "The other night!! How long have I been here!!"

"Umm... I am not sure, Motoko said that you hit the rock in the evening after dinner. That was day before yesterday, You have been recovering here since then." She suddenly ran over to him and gave him a big hug, and said "I am glad you are ok sempai, I was so worried, but Motoko has been taking really good care of you, she said you would wake up today and I believed in her, and in you."

He brushed her hair, and lifted her chin, and noticed the tear in her eye. "I am sure she couldn't have done it without your help. I bet you were very helpful too." Shinobu smiled, and blushed, and said "Thank you Sempai, I am going to go tell every one that your awake." With that she ran out of the door, and down the hall. He smiled and then grabbed his towel, and followed her out into the hall. "If it has been a day and a half, I probably should take a bath before I go looking for Naru."

'Leave it to Keitaro to always know what to say at the right time. He may be clumsy and a little perverted, but when it really counts, he knows how to put a girl at ease,' Kitsune thought. She plugged her peep hole, and then thought 'Motoko undressed Keitaro hu? What on earth was she doing in there? Although as I can't say as I blame her much, because Keitaro does look pretty handsome in his birthday suit.' She had drilled the holes on several occasions, It was getting more and more difficult to maintain a proper hole to spy on Keitaro with, because all her other holes had been discovered and plugged. 'Sometimes painfully discovered' she thought about a particular time when her eye was poked by Naru.

* * *

Keitaro rinsed himself off, and climbed into the small wooden tub. It felt good, but he only really relaxed in the tub after he had had a particularly rough day, or had been launched several times from the end of Naru's fist, or one of Motoko's special techniques. For the strangest reason he didn't feel particularly sore, or damaged, besides the sore spot on his forehead. He only concern was what was he going to tell Naru when she returned later in the evening.

His bath was suddenly interrupted by Su barging in to the men's bath area. She was holding a contraption that looked an awful lot like a small guillotine with lights and buttons on it. She had tears in her eyes, and she said, "Keitaro, how could you! You woke up too soon before I had a chance to use my bump remover!"

No more than two steps behind Su was Kitsune. "Hey Keitaro, did you dream any interesting dreams?"

"Um... do you mind, I am kind of right in the middle of a bath," he said as he made sure that he was covered with a towel.

"No, I don't mind, so, did you have any interesting dreams?"

"Can I still try out my invention? I worked really hard on it?"

"Feeling better?" asked Haruka as she walked in the door. Shinobu was hiding right behind Haruka, and her head was peeking out from behind, in a deep shade of red.

"Sempai ... I ... I asked Motoko about your glasses she said she would look for them."

Keitaro whined "Aaaaaiieee" and tried to sink lower into the tub.

"I wasn't able to find your glasses, I doubt that after that brush with the rock, that we will be able to find anything at all," said Motoko.

"What were you looking for my dear sister?" said Tsuruko.

Motoko jumped "Onii-san what are you doing here!"

"Oh well I heard a lot of noise up here, so I thought that there was a party here"

"That's not what I meant sister!"

"I'm glad were having a party, I brought some watermelons over just incase we were. Shinobu called me and said you were awake, sorry I couldn't have come sooner, I was kind of lost on Shikoku, it took forever to find a way home."

By then the only sound Keitaro could make were bubbles as he was hiding under the water in the tub.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

It was decided to have a party that night, Shinobu and Mutsumi started cooking in the kitchen. Su wanted to help badly, because she felt quite left out of Keitaro's recovery process. Shinobu finally consented but she instructed Su "You can help, but you have to promise No Missiles, No Explosives, and no Electronics at the dinner table."

"Awe your no fun, um... are hammer's allowed?" Su asked. Shinobu shook her head in a "no".

"Flame throwers? Guillotines?" to which Shinobu would shake her head more vigorously with each question. Finally after several min of banter, Su caved, and helped set the table.

Meanwhile Tsuruko and Motoko had finished their shopping and had returned. Motoko's face was very flustered 'Sis didn't answer one single question of mine the whole time we were shopping.' The main question Motoko had asked several times, was "Why have you come."

The response was always the same, "why to visit you," to which she would then give off a shrilling chuckle that sounded like she was up to no good.

* * *

Keitaro had finally gotten out of the bath when he was sure it was safe. After drying himself he went to his room to put on his clothes. He put on his last pair of clean boxers and the rest of his clothes. Then gathered up his dirty clothes, and Motoko's robe, and went down the stairs to do laundry.

While he was loading the washer Kitsune entered the room.

"Did you dream anything strange?" Kitsune asked.

"Umm...No, why do you ask?"

"Oh no reason, I just thought perhaps you might remember something while you were asleep," Kitsune slyly said.

Keitaro couldn't help but notice the fox's grin and said, "Kitsune what are you hiding, or planning? If you think you're going to get out of rent this month you have another thing coming to you."

Kitsune couldn't believe how easy Keitaro walked right into this one. She couldn't help it and said "You promise?... Just be gentle please."

Keitaro was flustered, and he said "That's not what I meant, something is up and you know what it is. Tell me what's going on?"

"Oh and spoil the surprise? Nope, I won't do it, because it wouldn't be any fun otherwise."

Keitaro shrugged his shoulders. He had once again been defeated in a battle of the wits against the master. Changing pace, he then asked "Um... Kitsune, what did you want to talk to me about the other night?" She stopped grinning, Keitaro continued, "You said it was important, and it was about Naru. Have you seen her today?"

They stood there together for about thirty seconds, till Kitsune finally said, "I think the issue may have found its own solution, however, other developments have begun to shed new light on the situation." She then cleared her throat, and said "I think Naru just stepped out for a few days, she will be back in no time, I am positive" With that, she turned and left the room before Keitaro had the chance to ask her any more questions.

He finished loading his clothes and pressed start on the machine.

* * *

Kitsune breathed a sigh of relief. She was treading on thin ice and she knew it. Her curiosity was driving her insane, 'I have to find out what happened between Keitaro and Motoko. Whatever it was enough to drive Naru off, but what did Motoko do?'

'I can't go to Haruka, she is too shrewd to ask anything from, she would figure me out quicker than I can say saki,' she thought.

'My only hope, is to pester Motoko maybe she will slip something to her sister or someone else.'

She made her way to the door outside of Motoko's room and stood outside to listen to see if she could hear anything. Nothing could be heard. She dared to crack the door just a little, to peek inside. She saw nothing but the window on the far side of the room.

"What are you doing?" a voice said standing behind her.

Kitsune panicked... 'Am I getting that old that I am getting caught this easily?' She turned and saw the tall beauty of Tsuruko standing behind her.

Kitsune rubbed her head with her hand, "Oh, I was looking for Motoko, but I didn't want to disturb her in case she was sleeping" and she quickly dodged around Tsuruko and went down the stairs to her own room.

'Damn,' thought Kitsune, 'I need a plan B.'

* * *

The dinner was exceptional; everybody complemented Shinobu and Mutsumi on preparing such a wonderful meal. There were only three people couldn't enjoy the meal to its fullest. Kitsune because she was busy plotting something, Keitaro was worried about Naru, and Motoko, she was petrified that her sister might find out something, or that Keitaro might find out something.

After the dinner Kitsune brought out some of her stash, and everybody started to really party. Mutsumi started to act silly and began to take her clothes off. Haruka deciding that both she and Mutsumi had too much to drink walked Mutsumi home, and then went home herself.

Keitaro had had a bit more to drink than Mutsumi and had fallen asleep on the floor. Su and Shinobu had been sent to bed hours earlier; Motoko insisted that they do so. This left only Kitsune, Motoko, and Tsuruko in the room with a very sleepy Keitaro. Everybody had quite enough to drink. Tsuruko was on the verge of going to sleep.

Kitsune thought 'Plan B is going well, maybe now I should drop the bomb.' "Say Motoko, Haruka says you saw Naru leave this morning, do you know why she went away?" 'Blunt is sometimes the best approach,' she thought.

Motoko suddenly found her self holding her breath, as she sat on the floor on the other side of the table from Kitsune. The only sound in the room was coming from a gently snoring Keitaro, and Tsuruko quietly joining him in the same happy chorus.

Motoko waited, and then finally answered. "I can't say as if I know exactly why she left, but she was really upset with all of us." She paused again, and then added "I suppose me more than most because I did something to hurt her I guess. She said that if we went looking for her, we would defiantly regret it."

"What did you do?" Kitsune asked.

Motoko's eyes began to water, and she looked at her sister to make sure she was asleep. Tsuruko's deep breathing seemed to confirm it.

Motoko said "Something horrible, I am ashamed to tell anyone, so please don't ask me that." She then quickly added "Please you have to help me, if Keitaro starts asking questions, he is going to find out that Naru left, and he will want to go looking for her. We can't let him do that, if Naru gets a hold of him again, who knows what would happen. This time he may not wake up." She couldn't stop the tears that had been brimming in her eyes from running down her cheek. She quickly wiped them with a nearby napkin.

Seeing Motoko like this Kitsune didn't know how to react. Her curiosity was eating away in the pit of her stomach, and at the same time, her heart was bleeding for Motoko.

Motoko then added "Please, no one must know that I did something horrible. If the others find out, I may be kicked out of the Hinata apartments. This is my home. I don't want to have to go away."

Kitsune caved, she knew what it was like to be lost without a place to stay. She had done so on many occasions when she was far away from home, and she had spent all her money a large bar fine. No way to get home and no place to stay the night. "Alright, I will help you, but soon you are going to have to tell me what happened. Dry your tears, and let's put Keitaro and your sister to bed."

Motoko could only nod her head, and wipe the tears. She helped Kitsune rouse Keitaro, and kind of walk him into his room and onto his futon. They covered him with a blanket and left the room. Tsuruko had been a lot more resistant, somehow she had managed to cling to the leg of the table and her death grip wouldn't let go. Motoko and Kitsune gave up, and put a blanket over her, and then they both went to bed. As soon as they had left the room... Tsuruko's grip loosened from the table she had been holding onto, and she sat up.

'My my sister, you can't even admit it to your friends? You did nothing really wrong, yet you hide it as if you had actually had done something evil. Yet I see no evil in your heart, and yet you won't even protect yourself from that violent red headed devil accusing you of evil? Is that what is in your way? She may be a friend, but on the battle field for love, there is no truce between women. Where is your strength, and resolve that you showed me when I was here last. I will help you find that resolve again.' Tsuruko smiled, and then nodded at a pair of eyes that were now in Motoko's room watching over the young warrior sleep.

* * *

Motoko dreamed of snow falling all around her, as far as she could see. She was lost, and she couldn't find her way. It was cold, and the snow was getting deeper. She was looking for something, but she couldn't find it, nor could she identify it. She sat down and cried in the snow.

* * *

Motoko woke with a start. It was very cold in her room, and she pulled out another blanket and climbed under it. Several more times she would wake, shivering from the non existent cold. She didn't understand why her dreams were so full of snow, and why she was lost in the snow. She just wanted to be warm again. She cried herself into a fitful sleep.

* * *

The wind was cold, and the snow had quit falling down, it was now falling sideways. She trudged her way through the snow, till she found a hollow of a snow bank. Using her blade she carved out a small shelter for herself. It wasn't much, but it would keep her alive for tonight. It was exhausting work, and she was soon ready to collapse. When it was finally done huddled down in the shelter, and cried. She was lost, cold, and alone, but mostly she didn't know where else to go. So she stayed there, and huddled in the dark, out of the wind.

Outside, seemingly unaffected by the wind or cold, there were two eyes watching over a precious samurai girl cower in her snow shelter and they seemed to be waiting for something. The eyes blinked, and opened to spy a large pile of blankets with a girl wriggling around under it. It settled once more, and blinked again, to once again watch over a girl in a snow bank trying to keep warm.

* * *

"Come back!" he cried.

The girl just kept running away from him, he couldn't understand why she was running. "Come back! Don't leave me!" he cried.

He tripped, and fell. "Damn my clumsiness" he said. He picked himself up and looked around on the ground for his glasses. They should have been right in front of him, but they were no where to be seen. He looked up and scanned around him he could no longer see the girl that he had been chasing. He cried once more in vain, "Come back! Don't leave me!"

No answer, so he sat down on the ground. He looked back behind him to see what he tripped over, and it was a sword. Something in him keyed a memory, but he could put the pieces together. It looked familiar but he couldn't remember where he had seen it. It was bright, and glorious, and shown with its own light.

Holding the sword and using its light, he searched around in the fog. 'Perhaps the owner was somewhere near by,' he thought. He found a cobble stone path in the fog, and began following it. He soon found himself at the bottom of some steps. They looked just like the steps going up to the Hinata Inn. He started to climb the steps, and found a weight pressing against him keeping him from going forward.

Three shapes formed in the fog in front of him. They also seemed familiar, but he couldn't place who they were.

One of the shapes said "You are the one preventing your own progression."

Another said "You must awaken the sleeper."

The third said "She will be your guide you must learn to trust her."

The first said "She is your destiny and your survival."

With that they pushed him down the stairs.

* * *

Keitaro woke with a start, he was falling. He scrambled to catch onto something, anything, and found his pillow.

He suddenly sat upright in his bed. He realized that he wasn't falling, but he was safe in his own room. 'What was that?' he thought. 'A girl of my destiny? .... My Survival?'

"Naru!" he exclaimed. He quickly jumped out of bed, and realized he was still dressed. 'Oh yea, I must have fell asleep at the party.' He put on his house slippers, and looked for his glasses. 'Oh yea, I broke them,' he thought. He opened the door to his room, and made his way up to Naru's room. He opened the door, and burst inside. "Naru I have to talk to you." He waited for a response, there was none. He made his way to her futon, and found her. He could barely make out the details in the dark. Her skin was very pale in the faint moonlight coming into the room, and he could see that she wasn't wearing hardly anything save something that barely could be considered modest. He put his hand on her cheek, and said "Naru, please wake up, I have to talk to you"

Her eyes opened, and she gently grabbed his arm, pulling his hand away from her face. She began to speak but he interrupted her.

"Wait, let me speak. Listen, you are very important to me, I don't know why you have been behaving like this recently, but I can't let you run off, because I need you. I know that you're my density, I mean destiny. I just had a dream that I was chasing you, and you wouldn't wait for me. I tripped and fell, and you went away. I followed a path that I found, and found this Inn. Three voices in my dream told me that I needed you. I don't know what it all means, but I know that you are very important to me, and I can't live without you."

With that he leaned to give her a kiss, and was interrupted by a voice. "First of all, I am very flattered, and I can see why Motoko likes to live here. Second, if you treat all the girls here with that kind of smooth talking, I can see why they all care for you like they do. But lastly, although very tempting, I must insist you not do that, after all, I am a married woman." There was no mistaking who that voice was.

Keitaro melted back a few feet, and cleared his throat. He tried to speak, but couldn't find any words.

"I bet your looking for answers," she said as got up from the futon, and put on her robe. Keitaro could only nod his head as she turned on the lamp on the desk.

She then came and sat down beside him, and waited.

After a few moments, he decided to break the silence, "Umm where is Naru?" he asked.

"From what I gather, she left by plane somewhere. She was very upset with everybody, not just you. From what I gather is she is not in a mood to see anybody. I don't know what else to tell you. Although I do know this, it was something that you were doing with someone that upset her most."

"But I didn't do anything," he said, and then he added. "She wouldn't even give me the chance to explain what happened with how she saw Kitsune 'n me."

"Oh my you do get around," she said. When she saw the puzzled look on his face she added, "Well then explain to me what happened then, maybe it will help you feel better."

He began to tell her the story of how Kitsune had said she needed to talk to him, and how she had been crying. He continued to tell her how she came in his room rather tipsy. How she dropped a bottle, stepped on it, lost her balance, and they knocked heads. He described how when he woke up, he could see Naru through the hole looking down, and the hatred on her face. And he described how incriminating Kitsune was positioned and dressed that could give Naru the impression that she had. He explained how he helped Kitsune to her room, and went up to talk to Naru.

'... and the last thing that I remember of that night was a burning sensation in my chest thinking that I was going to die. I hit the rock, and everything went dark, but I felt the warmth of the hot springs as I submerged under the water, thinking that I was going too drown if the rock hitting my head wasn't enough." He finished with a sigh, and then added "I suppose Naru has the right to run off like that, but I wish I had a chance to explain. She probably wouldn't have believed me anyway."

'So he has no idea that Motoko's heart is growing for him, and that her body is yearning for him also?' she thought. 'Shippu is pretty thorough in her report to me but she forgot to mention a few things, but one thing she did not forget to mention, is his ki buildup right before hitting the rock. His family powers might be manifesting in him, and he is on the verge of breaking loose. Not to mention that Motoko is already feeling the side effects of his powers, I can't let him leave if he is going to put Motoko in jeopardy. Most of all, I can't let him leave if he is going to put the entire world in jeopardy.'

"Humm... well that is a very interesting story," she said. "I think it may be wise to wait a few days around here, maybe by then she will come back. We may even find out somehow where she went. She might call us and let us know where she is at. In the mean time, I think you really need to concentrate on the people here at the inn. They probably need your support right now because a few of them know what happened, and they are upset over why Naru left."

Keitaro sighed, "I need to speak to Naru as soon as possible, but I suppose your right, I can't just run off looking for her, she could be anywhere."

"Go back to your room and get some rest, but do me a favor. Quit trying to hit on older women, Although I approve of your taste, I really insist that you not try to swoon me away from my husband, you never know, I might be in a state of weakness" With that she winked, and helped him stand up.

"One last quick question, why are you in Naru's room?"

"Oh that's easy to explain, everybody went to bed after the party, and no one saw it fit to give me any blankets for my room. So I used Naru's instead knowing that she wouldn't need her room for a few days. Tomorrow I will move back into my own room when you guys get me some blankets." She gave him a gentle push towards the door. "Please shut the door on your way out" she said.

He walked to the door, and looked back. Tsuruko had already disrobed again, and was reaching for the light. In the soft light of the desk lamp she looked very sexy. She was still dressed in what anyone would barely call modest. He found it very hard not to stare, and wishing he had his glasses so he could see more details. She turned the lamp off, and his stare was broken by the sudden change. So he turned around, and held his breath. He finally made it to the door, which seemed farther away than he remembered it. He closed it behind him as he left the room, and finally let out the breath that he had been holding.

He then thought 'Wow, if Motoko looks like that in a few years, she would probably be able to marry anyone she wanted to.' He made his way back to his room, and climbed into bed. He couldn't really sleep the rest of the night, because Naru was gone. He also knew something was eluding him or missing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

* * *

Tsuruko smiled, 'I can see why Motoko likes him, he has a hard time breaking his eyes off of a pretty girl' then felt her cheeks get warm. 'Oh my I am blushing' she could hardly stifle her girlish giggle. She quickly put back on her clothes, and went out into the night. She made her way down to the river at the bottom of the hill, and waited sitting upon a stump by the river.

After a few more minutes passed, she finally called out "Come out! I want to know what are you trying to do? What game are you playing now?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not playing any games" asked a feminine voice.

"I wasn't talking to you Haruka, I was talking to those three that seem to meddle in peoples lives around the Hinata springs area."

Haruka walked out from behind her to sit on another stump near her at the river's edge.

"I am worried," said Haruka.

Tsuruko looked at Haruka and asked "about?"

Haruka then began to explain, "You know about the history of your family and my family? How you sealed away the spirit of one of my ancestors in the sword that belonged to him? You probably saw it when Keitaro brought it to help Motoko the time you made them almost get married. I believe you call it the Ominous blade?"

Tsuruko nodded her head, and Haruka continued "what you may not know is it has happened several times in our history. There is something special about this place but I don't know everything. Only that our ancestors were warned that our family would die out if we did not maintain the Hinata holdings in our linage forever. I believe it may be those "three" that you are referring too that warned our family."

She continued, "About every few hundred years since our family became care takers of the Hinata estate, a male member of our family would find him waking a power within him that was freighting. Eventually as karma or fate would have it, each one would find the blade, and proceed on a rampage. No one knows if it's the power that corrupts him, or the blade, but the blade is indestructible. Believe me, we have tried. Every time that it happened our family would call on the help of another family or ourselves, and seal the spirit of the owner away. Each time the spirit is harder and harder to seal away. Were not sure if it's the power of this place, or the additive spirits that resides within the blade that makes it harder, it maybe both. It may even be that each family member that it happens too is more powerful than the last one."

"When Keitaro was a child, he had some friends that he used to play in the sand box with. They were always together, I believe Motoko even came and visited for a while, I believe you were about ten at that time. Fall came, and all of Keitaro's friends had to go back home, and he cried for days. Without anyone to play with he explored the Inn, and stumbled upon the sword. How he found it, we can only guess that our "three meddling friends" helped him find it."

"His small rampage already destroyed half the annex section of the Inn. It took all of my strength, and Seta, and another woman to seal the blade away from Keitaro. The little blonde girl you know as Sara that sometimes stays here, her mother was that woman. At the time she received a blow that eventually caused her life to be cut short. She never fully recovered from the injury she sustained. We were all about seventeen at the time if I remember right."

Haruka paused for some time, as if the memory was too painful. "Keitaro's family moved far away just incase he should stumble upon the sword again, but for some reason, Granny Hina thinks that Keitaro was ready to accept his fate. I think that Motoko and Naru living here had something to do with her decision to have him move back and take over as manager, but I am still worried that it may be too soon for Keitaro"

"It looks like our "three meddling friends" think Keitaro is ready now also. Although I am fearful for you see over time, our family has come to learn that if one of our males is successful in the transformation, it will cure the blade of its evil, and he will be able to change into something far beyond our understanding. What that means, we know not, but it gives us hope, which is why we have stayed diligent in taking care of the Hinata springs and we even allowing the occasional rampaging to happen. We know there is a high risk, but one day the risk might be worth it. I am sorry that now it involves more than just our family, Motoko seams to be in the thick of it right now."

"I will say one thing, Keitaro seems to be nearly indestructible, past family members that this has happened to, have had similar indestructibility, but by far Keitaro seems to be ten times as strong as the last male member that this happened to. I am sure that he will try to protect Motoko at all costs."

Haruka got out one of her poison sticks to light it up. It had been a lot of talking for a person who rarely ever spoke more than necessary.

"That would explain a lot, it may also explain what is happening to Motoko. She is being drawn to him like a moth to a flame. If you say this is happening again, I believe you and I think you have a right to be worried. I was right to leave Shippu watching my sister. She has the ability to see inside the dreams of people she spends time with. She has been informing me of quite a few surprising developments lately. Alas now I am worried about Motoko's well being. I think the energy in Keitaro is affecting her. I assume you know about them spending time together."

Haruka nodded, "I do, but she hasn't confided in anyone yet, I think the only other person that knows besides you and me, is Naru. I believe she left because of catching Motoko in bed with Keitaro." She paused, and then added "I know they weren't doing anything besides sleeping, but they both looked so happy when I saw them myself. Motoko is a strong person. She may be just the right person to have around for Keitaro. Not that I approve of them spending the night together, mind you, but something about seeing them together makes me feel much better about my worries."

"I am glad we have had this talk, I think between the two of us, we might be able to watch out for Keitaro and my dear sister. It has been a very enlightening conversation. If I notice anything happening I will make sure to give you a report, likewise I would hope that you would let me know if something has slipped my awareness."

Haruka coughed, and then said, "There is one more coming to watch out for Keitaro."

Tsuruko looked at her with a quizzical face.

"Kanako is coming, I don't know if it will be trouble or not, but she is quite powerful in our family's mastery in weapons and martial arts. She will also be coming to watch out for him. She may not like the fact that Keitaro is spending too much time with Motoko. Her reaction will be something we both need to watch out for, especially in Motoko's behalf, although she may surprise us with out right acceptance also. I don't know what to expect from her."

Tsuruko nodded, and then said, "I will watch out, however I have met her before, and I believe she will grasp things quickly, and she may be able to help Motoko more than she will help Keitaro. Shippu has told me some of the things Kanako have already done for my sister to help her make Keitaro notice her."

Haruka let out a long sigh of smoke filled relief and said, "I am glad, if you're confident in her reaction. She has always been saying how she was going to be the one for Keitaro, but if you say Kanako is helping Motoko, it may be a good sign that she has finally accepted that Keitaro will never see her as anything but a little sister."

Tsuruko gathered herself up from the stump she had been sitting upon, and helped Haruka off hers. And they walked to the tea house. Haruka opened the door to her apartment and invited Tsuruko inside for a cup of something after tamping out her cigarette.

"No, thank you. I appreciate the offer. However I have much to ponder about for tonight. Another night would be better, when we both have something more to discuss, or perhaps there will be three for tea next time," said Tsuruko.

"Oh, one last thing, watch out for the foxy one, she has a tendency for mischief." Haruka continued "She also has a tendency to try to exploit anything for money. She may try to use this to get something out of it for herself. She has a good heart, just sometimes goes in the wrong direction. Her main fault is she only sees instant gratification, she has a hard time planning for the big picture, so to speak."

Haruka then closed the door to her apartment and went in to bed. Tsuruko was smiling as she was climbing the steps. And soon also found her bed.

Both women went to sleep soon there after, and they somehow seemed satisfied that somehow things would be alright.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

Morning found most of the inhabitants of the Hinata apartments unhappy with their night of rest, save three. Su was happy as a lark, Tsuruko and Haruka also having dealt with a lot of their stress were both well rested.

Shinobu got up to start breakfast, and found her back was hurting. Su had mistaken her for a tree all night and had tried to climb her several times. When she got to the kitchen, she found the mess of the party untouched. She began cleaning.

Soon a very tired Keitaro came and began helping her. Very much like Mutsumi and the exact opposite of Mitsune he seemed to be unaffected by all the drinking he did last night. However it looked like he hadn't gotten very much sleep.

"Sempai are you alright?" Shinobu asked.

"Ya, I think so, I just am really tired. I could use some coffee I think it will help," Keitaro responded.

He quickly helped Shinobu clear the table, and do the dishes, while he finished off two cups of coffee.

Shinobu was delighted to have him so close, but she was worried about how tired he looked. She worked in silence too nervous to ask him anything. Finally getting the courage she said "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Anything is fine, you decide, however if I must choose, I think I would like to try the same breakfast I had yesterday, but this time I would like it to be still warm from the stove. I bet it will taste even better than it did yesterday," he smiled.

Shinobu found she was blushing again and said "You bet!", and quickly got out the materials she would need to begin breakfast.

"I guess I will go clean something," he said as he left the room. He took off his shirt and roll up his pants in the changing room. He went out to the outdoor baths with his brush broom, and bucket to scrub the stones clean. While he was scrubbing he couldn't help but stare the rock that looked like its mouth was open to the sky. It was rather fuzzy without his glasses but he could clearly tell that the rock was broken. He couldn't believe that he had split that rock in half with his head, but even without his glasses he could tell that the rock had horrible aesthetic presence. He went to the tool shed, and got out some rope, and as a side note, he grabbed some old shrine decorations that were folded up prayers to be hung off ropes. He went back to the bath and bound the rock up to look like a miniature sacred rock.

"That looks much better" he said aloud, standing by the bath looking at his handy work.

"Yes it does," said a very feminine voice behind him.

He whipped around, and saw what looked like Tsuruko wrapped up in a towel.

"Sorry I thought I put out my cleaning sign," he said.

"Oh that's what that sign is for, I didn't mind that it was being cleaned. I just moved it out of the way so I could get in the bath. Also, what did I tell you last night about hitting on older married women? I might find myself falling victim to your advances."

"No... I would ..." Keitaro was at a loss for words, instead he gathered up his brush broom, and bucket and ran for the changing room.

Tsuruko couldn't help but let a girlish giggle escape her lips.

As Keitaro rounded the corner, he plowed right into Motoko also wearing her towel. Together they tumbled to a stop, and somehow Keitaro's broom had dislodged Motoko's towel so that she was entirely naked and they were both holding each other chest to chest.

Keitaro then screamed "Sorry Naru er I mean Motoko" and then put his hands to cover up his face expecting a blow. It never came.

He cautiously opened his eyes, and found Motoko was holding onto him in a very "Su like" bear hug with her legs and arms completely wrapped around him. "Umm... Motoko?"

He heard a laugh coming from the bath. "My, my, you are quite the impatient boy, first it's Kitsune, then me, and now my sister too?" She couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey this isn't funny." He said to Tsuruko. He then turned to Motoko and said, "Motoko are you ok? You can let go now."

Her grip tightened and he could feel her pressing against his chest. He then couldn't help but notice how ice cold she was.

"Umm... Tsuruko? I think Motoko may be sick, she is ice cold."

Tsuruko stood up from the bath, and came towards him. He tried to turn his face away, but Motoko's head was in the way, he closed his eyes, to try and shy away from her forwardness. He then cried "Wait put a towel on."

"What are you talking about, I am wearing a towel. Again tell me how long till you get your glasses in the mail?" She knelt down beside them and felt Motoko. She then said "Bring her to the bath; we need to warm her up."

It took Keitaro several minutes to stand up, it was even more difficult to try and do it with Motoko holding onto him. What he found more difficult than standing up was he had to try several times to put his hand on Motoko to help him balance to stand up. Several times his modesty would kick in and he would almost loose his balance again. It wasn't helping that Tsuruko wasn't helping him, she only went to the bath, and offered suggestions from her resting place in the bath. "Place one of your hands on one of her cheeks. They will probably going to give you the most balance if you put one of them down there." She would also said things like "I bet my sisters breasts are not helping, either they are causing you to loose your concentration, or they are putting you off balance because they aren't exactly small," and "I bet she has soft skin, all the females in our family have really smooth skin. Is it soft and smooth?", and "She looks really cute clinging onto you like that, it's like you're newly weds."

The only thing this succeeded in doing is flustering him, and making her laugh more as each time he once more found himself on his back with her holding onto him.

After several attempts and one very bold move that he was blushing profusely over. He finally made it to a standing position, and brought her over to the bath.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Get in, obviously, if she isn't going to let go of you, you need to get in with her."

He was horribly embarrassed, but he complied. He carefully climbed down into the bath, and found way to submerge both their bodies up to the neck in the deeper end. He was sitting rather awkwardly because he didn't wish to hurt Motoko's arms or legs which were latched around him on his back by rubbing them against the rocks in the bath. So after a few minutes of moving around he finally found a position which he could rest on the bottom of the bath. The only downside is he was kind of forced to hold Motoko's body tight up against him as to keep her head out of the water.

Tsuruko's continual suggestions and comments wouldn't cease embarrassing him while Keitaro was trying to warm Motoko up, and keep her head out of the water. She had moved close to them so she could check on her sister's condition. "That would be easier if you just put one of your hands on her backside, instead of her back." Another suggestion "Rub her back, that will help her warm up." And other comments like "You're lucky you have to do this now, in another few years it would be a lot more difficult as my sister's breasts grow more like my size." To which his gaze couldn't help but look at Tsuruko who was proudly lifting her towel wrapped chest out of the water. "Oh my you're flirting again, you naughty boy, can't be happy with a beautiful girl latched around you, you have to desire more mature woman too?!"

He looked away blushing, and said "You're not making this any easier you know."

Motoko's grasp on him seemed to relax, so he attempted to dislodge her arms. She responded by only latching on tighter.

He tried calling out to her "Motoko?" He couldn't see her face he could just feel her respond to each time he called her name by her squeezing just lightly. Her shorter hair tickled his face as each time she breathed, and it was hard to not think of anything.

"Umm... how come it doesn't seem to be working... her body is still really cold." He said after it had been about 20 minutes.

Tsuruko responded by "I guess you will have to try harder, maybe try concentrating some of your body heat into her. Maybe it would help if you imagine yourself as a source of warmth, like a little campfire or something. Relax and close your eyes, now try pouring your heat into her body."

He complied the best he could and soon found himself nodding off. After a several minutes he heard a voice. "Aru aru? Kei-kun that looks like you and Motoko are having fun." He shook off the sleep that his eyes were fogging over with, and looked over as a very naked Mutsumi was making her way toward them.

"Mutsumi please! Wrap you self in a towel," he said while closing his eyes as tight as he could. "This isn't what it looks like, Motoko is kind of sick, and she passed out and won't let go of me."

"Oh? My! Oh I can't I forgot to bring one with me, besides Motoko isn't wearing one either." With that she submerged herself and came and sat next to him on the other side from Tsuruko.

After several more embarrassing moments he just sat there trying to concentrate on devising the square root of forty seven, trying to distract him away from the temptation of letting his eyes wander around the bath. The heat of the springs was beginning to affect him as Motoko began to stir.

"Keitaro please don't leave me I need you." Motoko whispered in his ear.

Tsuruko said "Keitaro what did she just say, I couldn't hear it." He just shook his head refusing to respond but he looked beet red. So she added "No matter, it seems like she is stirring, you have done well."

A few more minutes later she suddenly let go and stood up out of the water and with a loud shout while holding her fist in the air, "Keitaro watch where you're going." She blinked and looked around, "Hu where'd' he go?"

Mutsumi said "Oh he is below you look down."

She looked down and a very wide eyed Keitaro was sitting below her in the water of the hot springs. She was entirely naked and the top of his head was only inches away from her belly button. She went to punch him and yell pervert when he suddenly fell backwards from either the sudden blood loss from his brain or the heat of the hot springs finally got to him. She missed and the momentum of her fist caught her off balance and she fell on top of him, and she found his head between her breasts under water. His unconscious body was struggling to get air by instinct.

She struggled to get off of him, but his thrashing made it quite difficult. To add to her embarrassment Tsuruko would say things like, "Don't hold your boy friend under water, I am sure he can't breath any air between your breasts." She was able to gather herself long enough to get off of him. His head bobbed above the water and gasped for air and then stopped thrashing. Then he just lay there floating in the water. With Mutsumi's help they got him picked up and were making their way to the side of the bath. Tsuruko wouldn't help, she would only laugh and offer questions like "does he need mouth to mouth?" to which Mutsumi would drop his feet and say "I don't know I will check."

Motoko would then push Mutsumi away and say "he's already breathing he doesn't need mouth to mouth."

Mutsumi would say "awe your no fun" and pick up Keitaro's feet out of the water.

Several more suggestions were offered. Motoko would have to once again push Mutsumi away. After several minutes they got him out of the bath on the side of the pool. Motoko had had enough of the bath, and got up out of the water went over and gathered up her towel, and then threw one to Mutsumi, and said "Cover yourself."

She then left in a huff Leaving Mutsumi and Tsuruko watching over the unconscious Keitaro. After a few minutes he regained consciousness. Mutsumi said "Keitaro come join us in the bath."

He responded by standing up and saying "umm... no thank you I have lots of other things I should be doing." and he quickly ran and gathered up his brush and bucket and his shirt and ran for the exit. Leaving a just Mutsumi rather disappointed, and Tsuruko was in a fit of giggles.

* * *

Motoko rushed back to her room, she was horribly embarrassed. "What just happened?" she asked herself. She remembered waking up in the bath holding onto something, and before that she could remember Keitaro come running at her at full speed. What she didn't expect to be totally naked with him again! 'What is happening to me?' she thought.

'First I wake up colder than wet sushi. I also had a horrible night sleep, so couldn't wake up as early as I hoped. Adding to my embarrassment, Keitaro sees me naked yet again, and Tsuruko laughing at me like I was some kind of freak.'

She collapsed on the floor. After several minutes of just trying to let it all out, she decided to get up and go get dressed for the day. Shinobu would be calling her very soon for breakfast, and she couldn't go to breakfast in her towel from the bath. She removed her towel, and went to her underwear drawer to pick out what she would be wearing today. She had already worn most of the new things that Kanako and Kitsune had helped her get, so she resorted to not wear one of the last of her new ensemble. She pulled out one of her old plane white undergarments and one of Kanako's hand-me-down bras. She quickly put on the bra and panties. And then went to the closet to pick out something to wear. She couldn't help but notice one of Keitaro's boxers, and for some unfathomable reason, she changed into them and put her panties in her drawer. She quickly got dressed in her usual attire for practicing, and she went into the kitchen to get breakfast.

She quickly wolfed down the first few pancakes that Shinobu had just finished cooking, and drank a glass of orange juice. She went up to the roof and was trying to practice. Each time she would focus her mind, the image of Keitaro sleeping, or laying in the bath, or any number of other pictures of him, or of him and Naru, or of Naru speaking to her before she left the other day, would leap into her head, and her focus would falter. After a two whole hours of fighting with her brain, she decided that that was enough, and sat down to try to give her brain time to clear itself.

'Just before I woke up in the bath, I had the vague notion that I was holding onto Keitaro tightly,' she thought. 'If that's true, then why am I always climbing into bed with him, or grabbing onto him. I feel so... almost... dirty. Is it true what Naru called me before she left? Why do I keep taking my clothes off and throwing myself at him... I don't understand.'

"Why do I keep throwing myself at him every chance I get? Is my mind slipping?" she said.

"I don't think so," said a voice behind her. Suddenly having a voice behind her made her jump several feet.

"Onii-san! What are you doing here? How long have you been there?!" exclaimed Motoko.

Tsuruko said "Long enough to see that you have totally lost your ability to concentrate, and to hear that you throw yourself at Keitaro more often than what I just witnessed in the bath earlier."

Tsuruko watched her sister collapse onto her knees, then curl up into a ball sitting on her knees. She started to cry. Tsuruko rushed over and sat down beside her, and put her arm around her.

They sat there long enough for the sun to climb high in the morning sky. 'This isn't going anywhere, she is either afraid to talk because she fears my reaction, or ashamed of herself,' she thought.

Tsuruko asked "Do you love Keitaro?"

Motoko shook her head in a "yes" although all that Tsuruko could see is her hair bobbing in a slow agreement. Then after a few seconds her "yes" turned into a "no", then a very firm "yes".

"Do you want to be with Keitaro all the time? Do you get jealous of the others when they occupy his time?" asked Tsuruko.

Motoko's head bobbed in a slow "yes."

"Do you think this makes you a bad person, or a dishonorable person, or even a dishonorable warrior?"

Motoko's short hair wriggled as she strongly responded "yes."

"Do you think that you did something shameful to Keitaro, or one of the other girls here?"

Motoko just sat there without moving, almost as if she was petrified. Several minutes later Motoko quietly said "Naru left because of the shameful act I did."

She got up to run away, and found herself held down by Tsuruko's powerful arms over her back.

"I know have not done anything shameful or dishonorable, because I see no evil in your heart. Don't think otherwise either, I actually know far more than you think I do. In fact I am quite happy for you, because Keitaro is a klutz; er I mean he is a very good man. Most importantly, my little sister, he knows how to treat you and take care of you. He may not know how to treat some of the other girls here, but he has great understanding of you. Today he showed me great compassion towards you. He must have feelings in his heart for you somewhere. He may just need a little help finding them. Most of all my little sister, its up to you to find in your heart the courage you need to go after what you desire most. If it is to be with Keitaro, then do everything within your ability to make it happen. Also there is one thing I want you to know she may be a friend, but on the battle field for love, there is no truce between women." Tsuruko gave Motoko a big squeeze and then stood up and walked away. "Come to me if you need training in the art of seduction. After all how do you think I obtained a husband so easily?" and she laughed as she walked away down the stairs.

Motoko sat there for a while, not quite knowing what to do. Eventually she got up and went inside to see if she could make sense of what her sister had said.

* * *

Keitaro ran to his room, and closed the door. His face was so red that it felt hot to the touch. He quickly changed out of his wet clothes, and dried himself with a towel. He went to go get dressed and remembered his clothes in the laundry room. He wrapped the towel around him and made a quick dash for the laundry room.

He found his laundry basket, and made his way back to his room without incident. He finished getting dressed and quickly put away his laundry without really thinking too much about it. His mind was rather distracted as he did so. 'They were so smooth and soft, yet firm' and he would shake his head trying to clear out the thoughts. Only to once again think 'she does look pretty cute with short hair, I have always kind of liked the tomboy look.'

"No!" he suddenly said. "Naru is the girl I am supposed to be with!"

He went out to join the rest of the girls for breakfast. Shinobu had finished making breakfast, and Su was drooling on the table holding a fork in each hand. He sat down next to her and waited. Tsuruko joined them, and Shinobu brought the pancakes to the breakfast table. She had gone all out, and there was a large pile. Keitaro suddenly asked "um where are Motoko and Kitsune?"

"Motoko already ate, and is working out on the roof and Kitsune only yelled 'I'll be down later, after my head clears' when I went to go get her," responded Shinobu. "So there is no need to wait for them."

Soon the pile of pancakes became just a bare plate, and Keitaro said "Those were wonderful, even better than yesterdays" he had remembered what he had said earlier this morning.

Shinobu blushed, and said "Th... Thank you sempai."

"You're welcome, anytime for the most wonderful chief in the house."

Shinobu picked up her plate, and quickly stood up. She then said "I am going to start on the dishes now." She practically ran for the kitchen. In the kitchen she put down the dishes and then sat there blushing holding her cheeks in her hands. 'He said I was wonderful,' was all she could think.

In the dining area, they had watched her dart off and Keitaro thought 'She must have something she would rather be doing this morning.' So he called out to the kitchen, "Shinobu do you need help doing the dishes?"

A shaky voice from the kitchen cried "No, I have them, please let me do the dishes."

Keitaro got up and left to go study in his room.

After eating Tsuruko quickly made her way up to where Motoko always practiced. She heard Motoko utter "Why do I keep throwing myself at him every chance I get? Is my mind slipping?" It was easy to put two and two together, so she approached her sister.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

It had been hours since he had gone to his room to study, and now it was almost 2:00 P.M. He was still having difficulty studying. His mind kept wandering over his worries. He kept thinking about Naru, and his promise to get into Tokyo U with her. He also couldn't help but let his mind wander to what had happened earlier that morning. It had been a shock, but Motoko was very cold, she could have had some flu or something. Her sister had said some quite embarrassing things. It had been very difficult to keep his thoughts from wandering what he was feeling, especially with a beauty like Motoko naked and practically glued to him.

He stared at his math studies again, and tried to force himself to concentrate. A sudden thought drove through his mind like a hot knife would go through butter and it ruined his concentration again. 'Where is she, how long has she been away?! Why did Naru leave without giving me a chance to explain? If she doesn't come home soon, I may have to go get her."

There was a soft nock at his bedroom door. "Keitaro, are you in there?" He recognized Haruka's voice.

Desperate for a distraction he called out "Yes, you may enter."

She slid the door open and entered in his room, and sat down opposite of the table from him. After several minutes she finally broke the silence. "Keitaro, I'm worried."

He raised an eyebrow and asked her "about what?"

"I am worried about you and the other residents of the inn. I know you are really worried about Naru, and probably want to go looking for her," Haruka said.

"I might, I didn't get a chance to talk to her before she left. I know she is mad at me, but she wouldn't even give me the chance to explain. I just want to make things right with her."

Haruka face frowned, unless you had known her a long time you wouldn't have noticed. She then said "She did leave partly because of you, but I know there is something else bothering her. She just needs some time, please don't worry about her."

"But I am worried about her. I don't want to loose her, I ... I know I love her, I feel like I am destined to be with her. I just have to figure out how to calm her down so she will understand what happened between Kitsune and me."

Haruka's stone face slightly changed from a slight frown to a slight inquisitive look. "Kitsune?" she said.

"Well... you see...." Once again he began to retell the same story he had repeated to Tsuruko last night.

"... and when I went to go explain, I found myself flying out the window. That's the last thing I remember before waking up in my room. I really need to find her to explain the truth to her."

Haruka had sat there letting him get it off his chest. He acted like he was admitting that he had done something wrong in explanation of what had happened. It probably made him feel better just getting it off his chest. 'If you only knew the whole story Keitaro, but it is too soon to tell you anything,' Haruka thought.

They sat there for a moment after he had finished in silence, until Haruka said "That's probably going to be a difficult pill for Naru to swallow. I know you didn't make it up and your luck always kind of turns out that way anyway. But maybe you might need to let these things work out on their own. Women need time to figure things out by themselves or with their friends. However Kitsune being her friend, it has made things more difficult. Naru just needs some time. I will let you in on a little secret though. Something else happened between Motoko and Naru also. When Naru comes back, I will speak to her on your behalf."

"What happened between Motoko and Naru?" he asked.

"It was a disagreement over your treatment while you were out cold from splitting a boulder with your head. I wouldn't worry too much about it." Haruka wasn't exactly telling the truth, but she knew Keitaro was pretty soft hearted and gullible that way.

'He seemed satisfied with that, maybe now I can keep him around her incase anything should happen,' Haruka thought.

"Besides, I think you might need to stay here while Tsuruko is here, you know how Motoko really counts on you to help her with her older sister. Motoko may need your help again before too long. As manager you really need to stay here, and help her out if she needs it," she said. 'He always a sucker for duty obligations, this should buy some time.'

He frowned. "I suppose your right. I haven't thought much about it like that, but I guess your right. I wonder what Tsuruko has planned for Motoko this time. Do you think I need to talk to Motoko?"

'It was like shooting fish in a barrel, he didn't stand a chance. That was one good thing about Keitaro, his everlasting good guy side,' thought Haruka. "No I don't think you need to just yet. However, just be watchful of Tsuruko and Motoko. Try to pick up on things for once. You're usually so clueless about things like that."

"What do you mean clueless? I usually pick up on a lot of things, like when someone is feeling sad or happy," he said.

"Yea, you always were like that, able to pick up on the obvious emotions of others, but you need practice with their thoughts and feelings." She winked and then stood up. She walked to the door and then as she was about to leave, she said "If you think that something is up, come talk to me, maybe I can help you figure it out." She then quickly exited and closed the door behind her.

She quickly made her way down the long stairs to the tea house to check on her customers, and the one guest that was waiting for her.

She entered the tea house and then addressed her guest, "He will stay, I am sure of it. I planted the idea that you may try to do something to your sister like your previous two visits. He will stay here because he is the manager, and he will try to look out for Motoko now. If you wanted to use this to your advantage you can now because he is worried you're going to try something."

"I don't like what you are implying about my intentions on the previous two visits. They were both for Motoko's sake, but I suppose it can't be helped. However I am a little disappointed that you would play that card," said Tsuruko frowning. "However, this might be useful some way."

Haruka topped off Tsuruko's tea and began to brew another pot when she spied something out of the corner of her eye. She came to the table and sat down opposite of Tsuruko, and then called out "You're not fooling anyone in that hat and glasses Kitsune, you may as well come over here and sit down." The figure in a hat and glasses hiding around the corner cringed.

"I thought she just could hear fine from there, why did you invite her over?" Tsuruko said in a barely audible whisper.

"She's sneaky enough that she might be of some use, besides I don't want her to think she can pull one over on me." Haruka whispered back.

"How'd ya know it was me?" Kitsune asked.

"You were too obvious," Haruka stated.

Tsuruko smiled and said, "I thought that's what you dressed like when you went out like normal."

Kitsune disappointment could be seen on her face. "Since you invited me over, what are you two up to?"

"Oh nothing, we just thought you would like to sit down, it doesn't mean you have privy to anything yet. Besides, if we were planning on anything, and needed your help, I would at least ask you if I needed your help," said Haruka.

"Stop patronizing me, like I am a child, I know you two are up to something. It involves Motoko and Keitaro, but I also have my best friend Naru involved so I believe I have a right to know." Kitsune took off her sunglasses and hat.

"Alright we will stop treating you like a child, and patronizing you. Now go to your room till we come and get you when we need you," said Tsuruko.

It was hard for Haruka to keep a straight face after seeing the frustration on Kitsune's face. She threw down her hat and walked away towards the inn.

* * *

Dinner started later in the evening than usual, because Shinobu had to prepare an extra large dinner. Mutsumi had even brought a nice big watermelon for dessert. The meal was unusually quiet, because everybody was watching everybody like they expected them to do something. Keitaro watched Motoko and Tsuruko. Kitsune was sipping sake like mad and watched Tsuruko and Haruka like mad. Motoko watched Keitaro and Tsuruko. Su was watching Tama-chan and licking her lips. Mutsumi was watching the watermelon in the kitchen, and Keitaro. Shinobu was watching Keitaro eat. Tsuruko and Haruka both were as unreadable as blank canvas.

Motoko was wondering why Keitaro was staring at her. She was blushing slightly and wondering why, because his eyes seemed worried about her, and she didn't know why. Each time she would look over at him, her hands would check her hair, and she constantly was wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

Keitaro noticed that Motoko was wiping her face with her napkin far too often, thinking that he had something on his face he wiped it each time she would wipe hers.

After dinner was over, Motoko excused herself and said, "I think I will go to bed early, I haven't been feeling well." Motoko had hardly touched her food all through dinner. Mutsumi said "Don't you want any watermelon?"

"No thank you, I appreciate the offer though. She bowed to Mutsumi and walked out of the room slowly."

Shinobu and Keitaro quickly cleared the table, and then brought out plates and a serving tray full of watermelon slices. They had all feasted on what was an extra sweet watermelon, and had complemented Mutsumi for bringing over such a tasty watermelon.

Keitaro was feeling very exhausted. It had been a long stressful day. A lot had happened and he was ready for bed. So he excused himself from the table early. He went to his room changed into his robe to go take a bath in the men's bath. Sometimes he regretted having such a small tub, and not being able to use the nice large out door bath. He understood why it was his fate though, but he resigned to always use the one upstairs, just to keep everyone happy. He climbed in his small round tub after washing and decided that he needed a good long soak.

* * *

Kitsune was frustrated. It had been a very frustrating day. Each time she would get close enough to hear what Tsuruko and Haruka were talking about, one of them would call out for her. She had been quite upset all day long, and during dinner they were as cold as ice. Neither one showed any emotion. She went back to her room, grabbed a bottle of something off the shelf, and waited at the peep hole to Keitaro's room. If she was going to find out anything it would have to be done this way. Soon a very frustrated and fermented exhaustion came over her, and her eyes had closed. She fumbled around for a blanket and pillow and leaned up near the peep hole to Keitaro's room. Keitaro had not returned from his bath yet, so she waited till sleep finally found her.

* * *

The door to his bath suddenly was flung open. Keitaro was surprised to see Tsuruko holding Motoko in her arms. Keitaro was mostly surprised because Motoko was dressed only in a pair of boxers. Tsuruko ran over to the tub, and dropped an unconscious Motoko in the tub. Keitaro screamed "What are you doing?"

She replied "She fainted while changing for bed in her room, she's as cold as ice again, and I didn't know you were in here. This was the closest spot to get her in some hot water to warm her up."

Keitaro went to go climb out of the tub and soon found a pair of arms latch onto him from behind. He squeaked in surprise as Motoko's arms and legs latched onto him much like Su does. Her arms had slipped under his and had locked onto each other, and her legs were completely wrapped around his mid section. Her head was resting against his neck and right shoulder. It was a good thing he had wore his towel in the bath.

"What is she doing?!" he cried in surprise.

"I don't know but it looks like you got her again, excuse me but you will have to take care of her for now, I have something I must take care of." She turned went to leave. Before going she called back "You are an excellent manager to take care of my sister like this. I will be back soon to check on you, so don't be doing anything that you would need a marriage license for," and quickly shut the door behind her.

Motoko was rather cold, against his back. He tried to unlatch her, but it only ended up in getting squeezed tighter. At this point climbing out of the tub was nearly impossible without help. With resolve he gave up and tried to think about other things then the soft delicate beautiful potentially lethal woman thing latched against his back.

He tried not to think too much but occasionally he would peek over at Motoko's face, and then quickly look away. She did look pretty cute sleeping there, and it felt kind of good to have her holding on to him. Besides the cold it felt a little comforting to be held. After about an hour Motoko had warmed up considerably. She no longer felt like an ice cream cone stuck on his back. He was wondering when Motoko was going to wake up, so he could get out of the tub. But strangely all the exhaustion he had felt all day long was no longer there.

The door to his bath opened once more, and Tsuruko and Haruka walked in. "Tsuruko said you might need our help." Haruka said.

'This is just great!' he thought.

"Um... is there a way we can get her off me so I can get out of the tub? I think she is warmed up now," he said.

"Well.. Have you tried yourself to unfold her arms from around you??"

He tried once again, and she only latched on tighter. "It would appear to be useless," said Tsuruko.

"Come on, you can't stay all night in the tub, we will help you out," said Haruka.

Tsuruko and Haruka helped Keitaro out of the tub. Haruka tried to pull at Motoko's arms, but it backfired when Motoko suddenly backhand slapped Haruka's arm away.

"Reflexes I suppose," Tsuruko pointed out.

Keitaro tried to dry himself but found it very difficult to balance Motoko and try to dry himself and he was afraid to go near Motoko's skin.

Haruka said "I guess we will need to continue to help." He was then very unceremoniously dried with a towel from his aunt and Motoko's sister. Suddenly his towel was ripped away and he squawked "No what are you doing?!"

"Don't worry, I have seen plenty, and I have changed your diaper more times than you know."

His embarrassment was very apparent in his face as he covered his manhood with his hands. Haruka quickly helped him wrap a new dry towel around him. She helped him put on a pair of clean boxers she had gotten out of the laundry room much to his embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Motoko's still wearing shorts, I dried them the best I could, but they will be damp for a little while, and my sister is squeezing so tight, I can't seem to dry in between you two."

"What am I supposed to do now? She won't let go?!" he said.

"I guess you are just going to have to take her to bed," stated Tsuruko in a matter of fact type way.

"WHAT!!!" he screamed, "NO I can't!"

"Quiet down, your screeching can probably be heard by everybody, do you want to wake them up?"

He quieted down, and Haruka draped his robe over Motoko and him.

"I guess you will just have to take her to her room. Maybe sometime during the night she will let go, and you can go to your own bed," said Tsuruko. "Don't worry. I will stay in the room with you two. Don't want you to be put in any kind of situation that you would need to fill out a marriage license."

"You're not helping!" he said.

"There's not much we can do, who knows what she may do if we try to force her off you. Look at the bruise on my arm from her lashing out a few moments ago." Haruka showed him her arm, sure enough there was a slight bruise developing on her forearm.

He sighed and said "I guess so, this is just... so embarrassing."

"What is so embarrassing about it, you have a beautiful naked woman and you're taking her to bed!" said Tsuruko.

Haruka groaned at Tsuruko's comment, and said "It can't be helped, let's go." She gave him a firm push from behind through Motoko, as he felt a soft push from behind as a reminder of what he had on his back. With a very red face, and trying hard to think of other things he followed Tsuruko to Motoko's room. Haruka quickly excused herself and left saying something about an early morning appointment.

"Why can't we go to my room? Why Motoko's?"

"Do you know how improper it would be to have two beautiful women sleeping in your room? Are you trying to hit on me again, Must I keep reminding you that I am married??!"

He stammered again, and then closed his mouth. She continued her torment. "Well I guess you might be able to take care of two beautiful women from what I saw just a few moments ago in the bath. Oh and it looks like someone else strongly agrees," she said pointing at his towel.

"Hey! You're not helping?!" he said as he covered himself with his hands.

She quickly laid out Motoko's futon and blanket and pillows. She unceremoniously removed the robe off of Motoko's back, and took Keitaro's towel to which reluctantly gave up. She then helped Keitaro get down onto the futon and lie down with Motoko. Motoko seemed to sense what was happening and released the hold on Keitaro with her legs so they were no longer wrapped around his stomach. He took the opportunity to try put some space in between himself and Motoko as much would allow, However as if sensing his attempt to get away she entwined her longer legs with his. It was useless so he gave up. She was still tightly latched onto Keitaro, and she was pretty strong for someone who looked so delicate. Tsuruko then covered them up with the blanket.

"What about you? Where are you going to sleep?" he asked.

"There you go again, I am a married woman, aren't you satisfied enough with my sister already? Fine if you're going to be a pesky naughty boy like that?! If you think you're up to it, at least some part of you might be." She began to untie the sash on her gi that she had been wearing.

"No! What are you doing?!"

"Isn't this what you asked for? To spend the night with two beautiful naked women?" she said as she slipped out of her gi. She was wearing only a tank top type undershirt and a pair of white panties. She crossed her arms and grabbed the bottom of her tank top like she was going to remove it.

"No!" he called out, she looked his way, and he said "You said you were going to stay the night to watch over us?!"

"Now you're rejecting me?! How dare you toy with a woman's emotions like this!" with that she gathered up her gi and left the room.

"It's going to be a long night,' thought Keitaro. He tried to lay there not thinking about anything at all. The dampness on his back faded and the warmth continued to grow. He soon found himself groggy and then found himself in dream land.

* * *

Motoko sat guarding her fire, it was her fire, and someone wanted to take it away from her. She thought that they seemed friendly until she had to lash out once because someone that was trying to steal a log from her fire. She couldn't even recognize the person trying to do it. It was as if the person was shrouded in some type of fog.

After several minutes they had left, and she relaxed into a comfortable position. Watching the fire brought again a great sense of peace as she let the warmth wash through her. "I won't leave you" she said to the fire. There was no evil in the fire's heart, just warmth and love waiting to be unleashed. Motoko knew it and guarded the fire well, waiting for it to awaken.

* * *

Keitaro was running through the fog again, this time he wasn't chasing anyone, he was going somewhere, and an angel with pure white wings, and an extremely beautiful face and raven black hair was leading him. Her gossamer robe was almost transparent, and her beauty was glorious to behold. Once again they came to the bottom of the steps of the Hinata Inn. This time the angel stopped, and turned to him. "Your destiny is up there, with me. Come," she said. She let go and flew up to the top of the steps and disappeared over the top of them. He once again found himself pushing against an unseen barrier that he couldn't push past.

"You're not ready yet."

"Find the answer inside yourself."

"Learn what it is that is growing inside of you"

He looked around and it was the three old men again. They turned and walked away and disappeared in the fog.

He cried to the angel at the top of the steps "Come back?!" ... She peeked over the top of the stairs, and saw him franticly trying to get her attention. She came back down the stairs. "I can't get past... don't leave me alone down here."

She smiled at him, and his heart melted. "I will stay with you as long as you need me to. She flew around behind him and wrapped her arms around him and said "I won't leave you."

* * *

Shippu watched an angel guarding a fire. It was wonderful the way that the two acted. It was like watching two fish swim in a bowl. They seemed to move in unison to each other, and the synchronic breathing of both under the blanket laying on a futon was like listening to relaxing ocean waves.

Shippu ruffled her feathers in glee when she heard a voice whisper in the dark room of the inn, "I won't leave you."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

"It's so unfair!" said Kaolla out loud as she was standing outside of Motoko's room. 'I can't sleep with Motoko or Keitaro because they are sleeping together, Naru is gone, I don't like sleeping with Kitsune she always smells funny, and sleeping with Shinobu just isn't the same.' It had been a long time since she had left home, ever since she was little she had always slept with someone to keep her company at night. While she was at home, she always slept with her older sister or brother. It was always a comfort knowing someone older and stronger was there to protect her. Her dreams were always nice while she was in the company of somebody. Her dreams the last night was really scary. She had spent the night with Shinobu, and instead of being saved by someone in her dreams, she was protecting Shinobu. It had been her first nightmare in years. The second night that Keitaro had been hurt, she had climbed out of bed with Shinobu and tried to snuggle up to Motoko and Keitaro in the middle of the night, but they were clutching each other so hard that she couldn't get her arms between them. Giving up she went back to bed with Shinobu. The night of the party wasn't much better, but thankfully there weren't any nightmares that night.

Kaolla started to wander the halls to see if she could find Tsuruko, 'Maybe she would let me spend the night with her.,' she thought to herself. Just then she heard a noise in Keitaro's room. She opened the door a crack and peaked inside. Then flung the door open and ran inside to tackle the person inside. "Kanako!!!" she screamed as she ran.

Kanako was startled, but her reactions were quick and caught the ball of blond haired energy before she could give her one of her famous death grip hugs. Then Kanako set the excited Su down on the ground.

"I am so glad your back! I don't have anyone to sleep with; will you let me spend the night with you?" said Su.

"I just got here just now, how come you want to spend the night with me? Where's Keitaro? And why aren't you going to sleep with Motoko?"

"I can't sleep with Shinobu any more, she doesn't help me keep the bad dreams away!"

"Why are you sleeping with Shinobu? Is Motoko gone on one of her training missions?"

"No she is upstairs with Keitaro in her room."

"Didn't you ask if you could spend the night with her?"

"No I can't ask because Motoko isn't feeling well, I over heard Haruka say she was sick. That's why they made her take a bath with Keitaro."

"She what?" Kanako exclaimed!

"She got sick from staying up with Keitaro after he got a bump on his head, It was in the bath where Motoko found him"

"What happened to him??" asked Kanako

"I dunno, but Motoko took him to his room so they could get into bed, that's why I had to sleep with Shinobu. They must have not slept very well that night because he wouldn't wake up the next day. He woke up yesterday though"

"That's probably when Motoko must have gotten sick, because she didn't feel well yesterday, and Keitaro had to wash her in the bath. Tonight she feinted while she was undressing for bed, that's when they made her take another bath with Keitaro. I guess somehow some glue fell in the bath with Motoko and Keitaro because now they are stuck together, that's why they can't put on any clothes. I heard Haruka tell Tsuruko they are probably going to be stuck like that for at least a few weeks. I think tomorrow I will help them by inventing some solvent to get rid of the glue."

While Su was telling her story Kanako mouth would open wider and wider with disbelief with each part of the story as they walked to from Keitaro's room to Kanako's room. She couldn't believe it, she had only been with Granny Hina for less than a month and all hell broke loose while she was away.

"Anyway, that's why I want to sleep with you tonight, is that ok?"

Kanako could only nod her head.

"Yippee!" Su said, "I will be right back!" With that she dashed out of the room. Before Kanako could even put any thoughts together, a big yellow banana walked into the room. It slumped down on the floor, and the girl behind the banana grabbed Kanako's futon and set it up.

"Su will you wait right here? I have to go talk to aunt Haruka."

"You cant, she is already asleep, I checked a few minutes ago."

"Is Tsuruko around?" asked Kanako.

"She is sleeping in Naru's room. I would have slept with her, but she said that I couldn't with her tonight. She said she might have to do something early in the morning."

"Where did Naru go?"

"I dunno, I think she told Kitsune where she was going."

Kanako was extremely frustrated, because Granny Hina had sent her home without explaining anything. 'Now I see why I was sent home, but what the hell is going on!' she thought. Her mind was racing trying to figure out Su's story, and what was factual, and what was embellishment as she ritualistically unpacked and got ready for bed. 'The answers will come in the morning once I have a talk with someone who knows what's going on." However sleep was hard to come by that night for Kanako, it didn't help to have a ball of yellow haired energy squeezing her, and a bizarre story that had more questions than answers.

* * *

The ropes binding her were extremely tight, but they weren't cutting the flesh; however it seemed the more she struggled against the ropes the more tired she became.

A tall dark beautiful samurai came and stood over her with an evil look in her eyes. "I am tired of this little game" said Motoko, "So I will take him from you as you don't seem to want him anyway. You will sit here and listen and you will see what a beautiful thing you have thrown away so many times." Nodding to the ropes she said "You will be powerless to untie yourself."

Naru struggled again against the ropes and cried out "Untie me you bitch, Keitaro, Keitaro, Help!"

Motoko started speaking once again "Those are tied in such a way, that the more you struggle the more energy they pull from you until you faint from exhaustion. She then placed a large piece of tape over her mouth. You won't be able to make any sound at all with this; I have enchanted it so you cannot." Naru tried to cry out, but found that Motoko was right; she couldn't even make a muffled peep.

Motoko easily picked her up like she was a paper doll, and placed her in the corner behind a changing screen. Because of the lighting in the room, the screen almost acted as a one way mirror. "You will have an excellent view from here of the beautiful thing you won't ever have, because I am going to take it."

Motoko then walked over to the door way opened it and cried out in to the hall, "Keitaro, could you come help me with some algebra?"

Naru heard him cry, "sure anything for you Motoko." A few moments later he entered the room. He walked into the room, and Motoko closed the door behind her. He looked around, for her study table but couldn't find it, so he moved to the futon to push it out of the way to set the table up.

"Keitaro, leave the futon, I just wanted to talk to you. You see, I love you Keitaro! I always have." Motoko spoke softly.

Motoko carefully untied her gi, and let the clothing fall to the floor. Keitaro just stood there like a deer in the headlights. He sat down roughly on the corner of her Futon when his knees suddenly given out. Motoko sauntered over to him seductively, and grasped the collar of his shirt, and then slowly painfully unbuttoned his shirt. She pulled the shirt down around his arms and onto the floor.

"These past few days since you have been helping me, have made my decision painfully obvious. My sister has shown me the true way, and I am no longer afraid." She grasped his belt buckle and undid it with the button of his pants. She then roughly pushed him down on her futon, and unceremoniously pulled his pants off. He was just sitting there in his boxers, still flabbergasted. "Do what you will with me, my love."

Naru began to struggle more and more against the ropes, "No!" she cried, but no voice was to be found.

Motoko then pulled at her chest bindings and then handed Keitaro the end of the wrap. "Please help me."

Keitaro began to unwind. At first he did it slowly, like he was worried that he was going to die, but he soon gathered momentum like a child unwrapping a present. Free from their confines Motoko's breasts seemed to heave with a life of their own. Motoko was breathing hard, and Keitaro's eyes were drawn like arrows at a bulls-eye to the concentric circles of her breasts.

The hypnotic spell of what he was looking at was broken for a brief second, and he looked away ashamed. "Motoko, this isn't right." He shook his head and began to get up.

"Please, don't. Don't leave." He opened his mouth to say something and she cried "No, stop talking, and just hold me...Touch me, please..."

She grabbed both his hands and placed them above her breasts. She slowly carefully guided his hands towards the peak of the mountains of her womanhood. She didn't need to guide him very far; as his fingerers moved of their own will, slowly brushing her breasts with his fingers as he zeroed in on the bulls-eye of her most sensuous spot. She bit down on her knuckles as waves of ecstasy flowed over her. She closed her eyes and looked skyward only to feel his fingers move their way down her stomach.

Without warning she felt a new sensation of his lips on her chest. She gasped and then cooed "oh Keitaro."

Naru felt Tears coming to her eyes, and she began to struggle more and more against the ropes.

His lips stopped their exploration of this newfound forbidden territory. "I... I ... Always wanted to do this Motoko" he said. "You always meant more to me than anyone else. Why do you think I was always ready to help you all the time? Your soul and my soul were meant to be together."

After a few minutes letting the sensory pleasure continue Motoko suddenly stood up, and Keitaro without coaching grasped her panties and slid them down off of her hips... and let go. They slid to the floor with only the friction of silk on skin impeding their progress. His lips brushed her thighs and his fingers began a slow torturing caress their way up Motoko's legs to the forbidden garden of her woman hood. Motoko's knees wobbled and she collapsed with pleasure before his fingers had even found her forbidden zone. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him full on the lips.

Naru now violently struggled against the ropes, Tears streaming down her face, and darkness ebbing in her vision, she tried to cry one last time "NOOOooooo!" before blackness over took her vision. The last thing she saw had stamped a mental image in her brain, it was of Keitaro and Motoko naked in a passionate embrace.

She awoke a while later, and looked out through the screen. Keitaro and Motoko were lying under the covers of her futon; however they weren't drawn much higher than their waste line. A very nude Motoko and Keitaro were holding each other in their arms. Keitaro then passionately kissed Motoko one more time, and said "Motoko, I have always loved you; I only distracted myself with that other girl waiting till you were ready." He then stared right at Naru through the screen as if it wasn't even there at all.

* * *

Naru sat straight up in bed. She had tossed and turned so violently all night that her sheets were wrapped around her like a vine. She was breathing hard. It was dark, and she untangled herself to lie back down on her bed. Her pillow was soaked with tears, so she turned it over. Her eyes began to water again, and she tried to force herself to stop. 'Did he finally make up his mind what he wanted? Didn't he love me? Didn't he want me?' She tried to form a mental picture of Keitaro and herself holding hands, walking down the courtyard of Tokyo-U, but it just wouldn't come. Pictures of Keitaro and Motoko in each others arms naked were the only thing that would come. She tried to push them away, but the tears and mental images were winning.

She sat up and turned on the light, in order to push the images away. Without her glasses on, it almost looked like the corner of the room was filled with fog. She reached for her glasses and confirmed that it was just her imagination. She went into the bathroom of the hotel she was staying in, and turned on the water. She disrobed and climbed into the shower trying to wash away her grief. As the water tickled her skin her fingers started to caress her breasts the way she had seen Keitaro do in the dream. She stopped, and her hands dropped to her side.

'If only I hadn't been a coward and told him how I felt. That could have been me!' She thought. The waterworks of her eyes started again, and she just stood there under the warm embrace of the water running against her skin. The waters warm comfort was the only embrace she was going to find for now as she stood there sobbing silently.

* * *

Keitaro's senses were slowly returning to him, He had slept great, he hadn't felt this rested for years it seemed. He opened his eyes and stared straight at Motoko's face. She was only centimeters away, and her warm breath tickled his cheek. He smiled, gave her a little squeeze to which she returned, and then closed his eyes again to try and continue the beautiful dream he had been having.

Reality had hit him quickly. His eyes opened so fast that you could almost imagine them with a snapping sound effect.

There lay Motoko right in front of him, she was clutching him as tight as she was last night but somehow she was no longer on his back, but rather they were arm in arm chest to chest. Her soft skin was stimulating his chest, and he began to panic.

'How did I get myself into this mess!' he thought. He tried to wriggle loose from Motoko or even spin around so he wasn't so embarrassed; however the results only succeeded in her squeezing him more forcibly to keep him from moving. He looked around to make sure no one was here.

'I am so Dead!' he thought. 'If she sees me like this, or anyone else for that matter, I probably will be launched so far that I will have to take a plane ride to get back.'

He sighed "what am I going to tell Naru."

"No don't tell her, she is already mad at me"

He blinked in surprise especially since Motoko still looked like she was sleeping.

"Motoko?" he probed.

"Yes my darling?" she softly responded.

Keitaro's face went flush. She was clearly dreaming about someone special to her. He couldn't fathom who though, Motoko really wasn't the type to fancy boys at school.

Then he remembered she had confessed her love to him just earlier this month. His heart began to throb and his pulse quickened. 'This is too soon, not like this,' he thought.

"Not like what?" she whispered.

A little shaken because he was sure he didn't speak his inner monologue.

He then had an idea. "Motoko, I need to get ready, will you let me go? I am going to be late for school."

"Please just stay with me a little longer; you still have time before school starts." She softly sighed.

He thought furiously, and then replied. "Ok five more minutes, then I have to go."

She sighed, and then held him tighter and replied "Thank you Love, You won't regret staying here with me"

She then leaned forward and passionately kissed him on the lips. Her soft lips were driving Keitaro into new heights of ecstasy. He couldn't believe what was happening. His lips seemed to have a mind of their own as soon he was passionately kissing back. Tightness started in his chest and worked its way up till he realized he needed air. He struggled and pulled back gasping for air. She softly giggled, and said "that was wonderful my Love"

Now was his chance so he softly said "It's time for me to go."

She responded "No... not yet." She seemed to latch on with even more vigor than before.

"You promised only five minutes, don't worry I will be back soon, I promise."

She seemed to relax, and said "Ok darling, since you promised" and her arms then went slack. Keitaro quickly crawled out from her arms before she changed her mind.

"Hurry back" she said softly.

As he sat there recovering from what just happened, He couldn't help notice that Motoko was really beautiful in the morning light. Her face was smiling and her slow calm breathing was reassuring. Her body was remarkable to behold, she was sculpted in all the right places, and her breasts were catching the morning light emphasizing the gentle slopes and curves. Shock set in when he realizing his situation, so he crept forward to cover Motoko up with the blanket.

As he crept over to Motoko, he crawled carefully trying to stay out of her arms length, just incase she reached out and latched onto him again. Just as he was leaning forward, and grabbed hold of the blanket, the door slid open quickly revealing Tsuruko and Haruka. He was frozen like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Isn't my sister beautiful, No wonder you pulled her covers down so you could examine her. Give her a few more years and she will be full like me!"

Haruka stared at the woman standing next to her and rolled her eyes. 'Some people' she thought.

Keitaro quickly responded "No I wasn't doing anything. Honest! She just barely let me go, and I was trying to cover her up so she was modest!", and grabbed the blanket. He quickly flung it up over Motoko, and then backed away like he had just opened a basket of snakes.

Tsuruko quickly entered the room and walked over and placed her hand palm down on Motoko's forehead. She looked at Haruka and said "She is more affected than I realized." Haruka frowned.

Keitaro said "what is wrong with her? What is going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Tsuruko looked at Haruka, and Haruka nodded. Tsuruko took a deep breath, and began, "Well, it's kind of difficult to explain but...."

* * *

Kanako woke early and slipped away from Su. She made her way up the stairs to Motoko's room and slid the door open a crack. She peeked inside and saw the occupants of the room in the same position she had wished so many times for herself to be in. Keitaro and Motoko were holding each other arm in arm and skin on skin, in a lover's embrace. They looked very peaceful, but she was going to enter to go put a stop to this. She wanted to stop it because of what her older brother meant to her.

"Shocking isn't it" said a voice that nearly made her jump out of her skin. She hadn't even noticed the person approach her. Normally she was acutely aware of her surroundings; perhaps it was just the distraction of the young pair in the room.

She wheeled around and there stood Tsuruko like she had seen her so many times before.

"So you're the re-enforcements Granny Hina sent hu? Well, no time to stand there gawking Haruka is waiting for you down at the tea house." She turned around and casually walked away.

Torn between wanting to break up the 'happy couple' and wanting to know 'what the hell is going on', she decided, and followed the tall graceful warrior out of the inn and down the long steps.

When they entered the tea house, Kanako noticed a table that had 2 tea cups, a coffee mug, and cream and sugar cups placed on it. Haruka walked over with a tea pot in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. Tsuruko and Haruka sat down and waited. Kanako walked over and cautiously joined them.

"What is going on?" she asked. "Granny Hina never mentioned any of this." 'Typical of granny, she always liked leaving everyone in the dark for kicks,' she thought.

Haruka cleared her throat, and began "Do you remember all of the legend of the Hina blade?"

Kanako nodded.

Haruka said "Give me your understanding of it so I know how much I need to tell"

Kanako thought a moment, and replied "The blade is one that our ancestors had; the owner of the blade went crazy and started a rampage. The blade was sealed at the cost of our ancestor's life. Also that it has happened more than once, and the blade cannot be destroyed." She paused, and then added "that is about it."

Haruka thought a moment, and then said "The curse of our family is that every few generations one of the male members of our clan begins to manifest itself." She took a sip from her coffee pot, and began again "The powers of that male member are beyond our understanding; however the male who has this power soon begins to go out of control, and occasionally has lead to destruction unparalleled on any scale. Many have become legendary earthquakes of the past, or blamed on destructive tilde waves or storms. Each time many brave families lost their lives trying to seal the rage of our clan member."

"The blade is like the other half of the puzzle piece. Once our clan member begins to manifest signs of awakening the blade seems to find its way into his hands. Each time great samurai families have struggled to separate the blade from the owner in an effort to stop the rampage. Many lives were lost each time this happened, especially the wielders life. Each time one of our family members dies this way, the blade seems to become more and more evil."

"Years ago, when Keitaro was young, we were able to separate him from the blade before it had bonded fully. The blade is almost a collection of all the previous owners personalities. That is why it behaved upon its own accord when Naru drew it before"

"There is another legend of our family, one that is not quite so negative. It is why we are still all here instead of being destroyed long ago. That is, that one day, a great warrior would be able to wield the tainted blade and cleanse it of its impurities. One with that kind of power will be able to step to the next level of human existence. They will become something that is beyond our understanding. It will change the history of our family and possibly may even save all mankind. That is why we exist, to fulfill that legend."

Haruka took another long gulp from her cooling mug, and began again "Keitaro is one of the men of our clan destined to wield the sword; however I also believe he is probably going to be the one to cleanse it. Unlike many of his ancestors Keitaro is vastly different."

Haruka reached for the pot of coffee to warm up her mug. Kanako spoke out, "What does this have to do with Motoko, and what is going on right now?"

Tsuruko spoke next "Motoko happens to be a bystander, or perhaps fate intervened, but right now, Keitaro is on the verge of wakening. Motoko has been exposed to him while he was growing in power, she has become.... Well I guess you could explain it as Tainted. Her soul has become addicted to the powers that are leaking out of Keitaro. She will probably fail to exist if we try to separate them now, yet if they progress, they might progress together"

Haruka cleared her throat "I think that it is a good thing, this is the first time in the history of our clan that a male destined to hold the blade has not had to go through their transformation alone. Unfortunately, we are treading on thin ice, if he suspects that he has 'Tainted' her, he may become emotionally unstable and begin the rampage. Because of whom he is, this time he may end up destroying half of Japan before he is stopped. If he suspects what is going to happen to him, he may also rampage."

"Motoko is unconsciously following Keitaro like a moth to the flame. It started when she pulled him out of the hot springs the first night he started to wake up. She had watched over him that night, but being in close proximity had caused her to unconsciously make constant physical contact with Keitaro that night. She may get hurt, but without the influence of Keitaro's spiritual energy, she will perish. We cannot let him leave in pursuit of Naru, for it will destroy Motoko. Motoko's and Keitaro's feelings for each other may be the very balance that he needs to cleanse the blade. With her discipline and training she may be able to bring him into focus"

"Keitaro cannot know what is happening to him, but we cannot separate him from Motoko either. Both their lives depend on what will happen next. We also need to make sure that Keitaro doesn't affect more residence of the inn like he did to Motoko. All the girls will need to give him space and avoid long physical contact."

They sat there for a few min sipping their drinks.

Kanako sat there quietly letting all the information seep in. Her Onii-san through circumstance had become bonded with Motoko in a way she had only dreamed. Although she loved Motoko, she suddenly felt jealousy. Somehow Motoko had become inseparable on a spiritual level, with her older brother. What was her older brother? What was he to become? Couldn't it just go back to what it was before?

Kanako asked "Is it impossible to stop what is happening to Keitaro?"

Haruka peered into her coffee cup, and said, "At this point it is inevitable, it will destroy him if left unchecked. At this point he only has three possibilities. He destroys himself, he destroys half of Japan, or he breaks our family's curse and becomes what he is destined to be."

Kanako took another sip of her tea and stared down at her cup.

Tsuruko then said "At least it was Motoko; she has matured so much these last few months. If it had been Naru, I doubt she wouldn't have had the discipline or inner strength to grow with Keitaro."

Haruka added "She would have just launched him to the next county instead. It would have been perfect to have Keitaro, the ticking time bomb, be subjected to such rough treatment."

Kanako couldn't respond to their simple observation. A thought crossed her mind, "Where is Naru anyway?" she asked.

Haruka responded "When Naru launched Keitaro at the rock and Motoko voluntarily took care of him, she unconsciously couldn't leave his side. She was only wearing a bathrobe and sometime during the night she had climbed into bed with him. She really couldn't help it; she was being drawn to him like a bee to a flower. Although nothing happened physically, spiritually that is when her soul developed its necessity to be with Keitaro. I think Naru felt bad and went to apologize, and found Keitaro and Motoko practically naked and sleeping. That's when she left. It is probably for the best for now, and I hope she doesn't come back before his transformation is complete. It could spoil everything and cause more pain then good, and quite possibly bring destruction to us all"

Haruka thought for a moment and then added "If she calls, we have to keep her away, even if it means hurting her more. I love Naru like a daughter, but if Keitaro is hurt or destroyed by Naru's foolish actions, I don't think I could forgive her."

Kanako then added "What are we going to tell Keitaro, he is going to want some kind of information. He may be a semi clueless blockhead, but he will start to ask some of the wrong kind of questions."

Tsuruko responded, "Well I have an idea for that."

* * *

Su woke up and crawled out of Kanako's futon, and quickly darted to her room. She got dressed in her usual attire, and walked over to the wall of her room and pressed the hidden panel. She had found her room contained a hidden room which she converted into a laboratory. It was exactly as if it had been designed for her in the first place. It had all the amenities needed for a secret lab. Here is where she conducted most of her research on new gadgets.

She grinned from ear to ear, and said "Lets Get Started!" She grasped a large flask and wrote on the side of it, "_Banana scented Hi-Speed Glue remover_"

* * *

Keitaro sat there waiting for an explanation as to why Motoko was behaving as she did.

Tsuruko cleared her throat. "You see, when you hit your head on the rock, Motoko used one of the forbidden techniques of our family on you. Considering the circumstances it was probably the only thing that kept you alive. It involves merging your spiritual energy from yourself and binding it with another person. It's all very complicated."

She paused looking at Motoko's sleeping form, and then continued, "Motoko is using some of your energy and you are using most if not all of hers. That is why she keeps latching onto you. Right now, you are both sharing the same energy, it will take time for the energy that she combined to sort it self out and return to the rightful owner. In the mean time, you must understand, she has been drained of more energy than she thought she would be. This is why it is one of the forbidden techniques."

Keitaro suddenly had a concerned look on his face. Tsuruko seeing this walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry, I believe she is past the worst of it, however for her to recover, you cannot leave her side, and you may have to put up with several more nights like last night. It simply cannot be helped. You should know that the technique can only be accomplished out of pure love. If there is even any other emotion, the technique wouldn't have worked. For her to be able to do this she must care for you very deeply. It would be a shame if you cannot support her on her road to recovery."

Keitaro was shocked; Tsuruko just said that Motoko had to have very deep feelings for him. He didn't know quite what to think. He looked at Motoko, she looked so peaceful and beautiful lying there.

Tsuruko then added "There are benefits to the technique, such as added strength for both of you. While your energies are merged, you may be able to do things you wouldn't normally be able to do. Maybe even some rudimentary telepathy when you're near each other."

"Oh and one more thing I should mention, but it must be done in order for your energies to return to normal. The only possible way can be undone when you are in close physical contact. Nothing can separate you, not even clothing. It must be as much skin contact as possible."

Haruka's forehead throbbed with a vein in it, and she shot Tsuruko an evil look. Keitaro stunned and then felt very flush in the face as his blood pressure was rising.

Tsuruko then added quickly "Don't worry my pet, as you know by now, the Aoyama women have incredibly soft, smooth, and sensitive skin. I am sure you will enjoy the close contact of such a beautiful young woman. Motoko will mature into a very beautiful desirable woman." Keitaro's face flushed red enough to make a stop sign jealous.

Haruka came over and gave Tsuruko a light backhand to the back of her head. Haruka then said, "Keitaro she must not know that you know, because of the side effects you will have to control your thoughts as she might be able to hear them. She risked a lot for you, and you should be grateful. We will cover for you when we can, however the other residents can't get physically close to you for an extended period of time. Their energies may disrupt the balance that you're trying to reset. Once they are reset and separate themselves, you can go look for Naru then."

Tsuruko then suggested "Perhaps it would be good for Motoko to teach you some meditation rituals. That may speed the process up."

Haruka then added "Kanako is here, she also knows, so if you need help ask her." Glancing at her watch she then said, "It would be best to appear like everything is normal. For now at least I suggest you go to your room, and wait for things to get started this morning. It may not look good to have you coming out of Motoko's room in your boxers."

He quickly realized that he was still in his boxers, and grabbed his towel and hurried toward his room.

Haruka watched him go, and turned to Tsuruko and said "Skin contact??"

Tsuruko then said "Well, It's just a lie anyway; why not embellish it a little with what has been happening already. Besides according to Shippu, Motoko is unconsciously disrobing to get just that much closer anyway."

Haruka shook her head; Tsuruko was never one for subtlety the entire time she has known her. "Now what are we going to tell Motoko?" Haruka asked.

Tsuruko thought for a moment, and then said "Well, lets cross that bridge when we come to it, I will take care of Motoko for now."

* * *

Keitaro sped down the hall and just outside his room he almost stumbled over Su. She was carrying something that looked like a jet powered titanium super-soaker. Seeing him she ignited the pilot light, and then frowned. "Aww... Keitaro you always spoil my fun I built this just for you to get unstuck from Motoko. Can I still try it anyway?"

Keitaro eyed the super-soaker, now combination flame thrower, and decided against becoming victim to it. He quickly responded "No, but I do have some other things that need unstuck later, we can try it out on them if it's ok with you?"

Her dejected face suddenly smiled, and she cried out with glee, "Horary, I'm gonna go get breakfast now!" and she ran off in the opposite direction.

He was tempted to follower her, he was starving as it was, but decided against it, and did what Haruka had instructed him to do. He laid on his futon and thought about everything he had been told. It was all rather overwhelming and his brain kept drumming up thoughts about what soft skin had been caressing him, and about the kiss that had transpired this morning. As much as he tried to not think about it, he couldn't help but think about the feeling of Motoko's breasts against his skin, or how they looked in the morning light. A final straw was when he remembered the comment that Tsuruko had added, the fact that he was going to have to spend more time with Motoko, and more direct skin contact was inevitable. Soon his blood pressure was to the point that he passed out lying on his bed.


End file.
